P125 wage hike unlikely in Region 11

DAVAO CITY — It is unlikely that the tripartite wage and productivity board of Southern Mindanao (Region 11) will give in to the labor sector’s demand for a P125 wage increase.

Manuel Roldan, regional director of the Department of Labor and Employment, said the regional wage board, which he heads, is thoroughly studying a "compromise" increase which the business sector can afford given the economic slump.

Roldan admitted that the P125 wage hike demand may be too high, but he said the wage board will come up with an amount beneficial to the workers and, at the same time, which will not force more companies to shut down.

Militant labor groups in the region, however, said they will not settle for a lower wage adjustment.

At least 301 firms in Southern Mindanao closed shop during the first half of the year. Of the number, 57 percent were in the agriculture sector, 28.7 percent in services and 13.6 percent in manufacturing.