W. Visayas workers get P12 wage hike

ILOILO CITY—The Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board in Western Visayas (RTWPB-6) has approved a P12 increase in the daily minimum wage for workers in the region, way below the P97 increase demanded by labor groups.

Ciriaco Lagunzad III, the executive director of the National Wage and Productivity Commission, said in a telephone interview on Sunday that the RTWPB-6 issued Wage Order No. 20, raising the daily minimum wage from the present level ranging from P223 to P265 to the new rate ranging from P235 to P277.

He said the increase would take effect 15 days after the publication of the new wage order in a newspaper of general circulation to inform all parties and give them time to file an appeal.

Lagunzad said five other regions have issued wage increase orders this year—Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Bicol, Southern Mindanao and Soccksargen.

In Western Visayas, industrial and nonagricultural workers employed in firms with more than 10 employees will receive P277 from P265, while those employed in companies with less than 10 workers will receive P235 from P223 per day.

In the agriculture sector, workers employed in plantations will get a new daily minimum wage of P245 from P233 per day and P235 from P223 for the nonplantation workers.

Labor Regional Director Ponciano Ligutom, RTWPB-6 chair, refused to confirm the issuance of the new wage order and the amount of the increase saying he wanted to announce it in a media briefing set this afternoon in Iloilo as agreed by members of the wage board.

On May 25, 2011, the RTWPB granted a P12 emergency cost of living allowance but it was only effective for three months.

Actual purchasing price

The Trade Union of Filipino Workers had filed the petition last year for a P97 increase in the daily minimum wage for workers in the region.

In an earlier interview, Wennie Sancho, RTWPB-6 labor representative, said the P265 minimum daily wage in the region has an actual purchasing value of P153.43 due to the continued increase in the price of oil products, basic commodities and services.

Sancho said the workers’ demand of P97 increase in daily wage was reasonable because only 3,465 of the 45,315 business firms in Western Visayas were required to implement the minimum wage and wage increase orders because the rest had less than 10 employees and could seek exemption.

Employers groups, however, had sought a deferment in any wage increase this year claiming that an increase could lead to closure of firms or downsizing of their work force because of higher production costs due to the continued increase of oil prices.