‘Wage hike decision this month’

THE wage board head is optimistic in settling the wage increase issue within the month.

Labor Regional Director Exequiel Sarcauga said on Thursday that he hoped that the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board (RTWPB-7) would decide on August 25 the P75 wage hike petition.

“Hopefully we can settle this in one sitting so we can proceed on other agenda,” said Sarcauga, who is also the wage board chief.

Sarcauga admitted that there was a delay on the P75 wage hike petition filed by the Associated Labor Union- Trade Union of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) last April, since the board still had to determine the existence of supervening conditions like the inflation rate and the price increase of basic necessities to approve another wage increase in less than a year.

Last July, the board agreed that there were supervening conditions and gave the go-ahead to grant a wage increase.

Sarcauga said they scheduled a public hearing in Cebu city on August 23 where labor, transport and management stakeholders would also attend.

“We need to seek the appropriate positions of the various sectors on this matter,” he said on the wage hike petition.

He said the board was also waiting for the resolution from the National Wage Board in Manila to acknowledge the supervening conditions.

However,  the Central Office gave the board the go signal to hold a public hearing.

After the public hearing, Sarcauga said the consolidated positions from the different concerned sectors would be used as a basis in determining how much additional wage would be added./Reporter Candeze R. Mongaya