P22-minimum wage hike OK’d for C. Visayas workers

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The regional wage board in Central Visayas approved Thursday a P22-increase in the daily minimum wage.

The seven members of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Central Visayas (RTWPB-7) unanimously approved an increase of P22 in the minimum wage, according to the Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (Dole-7) regional Director Ma. Gloria Tango, who also chairs the wage board.

Tango said the amount would apply only to minimum wage earners in all classes in the Central Visayas, which meant that those who have been receiving P305 or below would get the additional pay.

Metro Cebu workers, who are receiving P305 a day, will be receiving P327 a day once the new wage order takes effect. The present minimum wage in other areas depending on their classification range from P240 (for non-sugar agriculture workers in Class D areas) to P285 (for non-agriculture workers for Class B areas).

The companies with employees receiving a little over P305 were required to implement the increase to avoid distortion, Tango added.

The P22-wage hike was way below the increase sought by two labor unions.

The Associated Labor Unions (Alu) asked for a P90-wage increase while the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) sought a P121.84-wage increase.

Lawyer Ernesto Carreon, labor representative to the wage board, said that during their deliberation, the wage board jointly junked the two petitions.

Carreon said the management sector first offered a P20-wage increase while he and the other labor representative, Jose Tomongha, asked for P30.

Thinking that the two government representatives in the wage board would favor the management, Carreon said he and Tomongha appealed that the wage increase be set at P22, to which the other board members agreed.

The amount was better than the P20-increase granted under minimum wage order RVII-16 issued last September 2011, Carreon said.

The resolution containing the new wage increase will be sent to the National Wages Productivity Commission (NWPC) in Manila for confirmation, and once approved, it would be published in a newspaper with general circulation.

The new wage order ROVII-17 will take effect 15 days after the publication.

The declaration by the wage board of supervening conditions in August paved the way for the deliberation on the petitions for wage increase.