Labor rep: Hike in wages unlikely

CEBU, Philippines - Workers in Central Visayas, who are hoping for a wage hike, would be disappointed.

This as a labor representative in the Regional Tripartite Waged and Productivity Board said that the body is not likely to find supervening conditions that would make the increase necessary.

It is not that Jose Tomongha, one of two labor representatives, sees none, but because he knows he will be outvoted when the time to decide comes.

Before the wage board can decide on an increase, it has to be declared that there are supervening conditions to justify such.

Outvoted

Tomongha said that while the labor sector is convinced on the presence of such conditions to justify an increase, the representatives of management as well as government in the board think otherwise.

Worse, Tomongha said that when the RTWPB-7 convenes on Thursday next week, he will be the lone voice of labor.

This as lawyer Ernesto Carreon, another labor representative in the board, is still in the United States and will be back by the end of the month yet.

“Mao ni ang nakapait sa sitwasyon kay inig votation na unya kung naa bay supervening conditions or wala, pilde na gyud ang labor kay ako ra usa ang mubutar. Kanang duha ka government representatives klaro na man na nga ang ilang leaning sa management gyud na sila,” (This is what makes the situation bad since during votation if there are supervening conditions or none, labor has already lost since I am the only one who will vote. The two government representatives will obviously favor management), Tomongha told The FREEMAN.

RTWPB-7 is composed of two labor representatives (Carreon and Tomongha), two management representatives (Atty. Hidelito Pascual and Charles Streegan) and three government representatives (Department of Trade and Industry-7 regional director Asteria Ca-berte, National Economic Development Authority-7 Buenaventura Gosoco and Department of Labor and Employment-7 regional director and RTWPB-7 chairman Gloria Tango.

Still Hopeful

But Tomongha said, they are not losing hope that eventually Central Visayas will have a new wage order, but not until September 22.

On this sate, the one-year ban to file for a new wage will end.

The wage board has to determine first the presence of a supervening condition as this would be the basis whether to grant any wage increase considering that the board is barred to entertain any wage hike petition as of the moment.

RTWPB-7 has approved a wage increase in September 22, 2011 and under the rules, wage boards are not allowed to adjust worker’s salaries for a year after the last increase unless they find supervening conditions to justify such.

“Kung dili gyud maka-declare og supervening conditions ang wage board, magpaabot na lang ta ani until September 22.” (If it cannot be declared that there are supervening conditions then we will have to wait until September 22), Tomongha added.

He said that there are economic indicators, which they are now collating based on the public consultations that RTWPB-7 have conducted in the four provinces in the region, that indeed, a supervening conditions exist.

It can be recalled that during the board’s meeting last May 24, they agreed to hold region-wide consultations as they were not able to decide on the much-debated supervening conditions.

The first consultation was held on June 7 in Negros Oriental and Siquijor, June 21 in Tagbilaran, Bohol and June 27 in Cebu City.

Tomongha, who is also the chairman of the Alliance of Progressive Labor, said it was shown that fuel price reduced by P4 per liter since September 2011, the time of the last wage increase.

However, it was likewise shown that prices of basic commodities have increased despite reduction in the price of fuel.

At least seven regions in the country were already given a wage increase.

Here in Region VII, the Associated Labor Union-Trade Congress of the Philippines filed a P90 per day wage hike while APL filed a daily P121.84 wage adjustment.

Based on the data released by the DOLE, presently, the minimum wage in the Philippines ($9.05-$9.91) is already higher than wages in Cambodia (US$2.03); Vietnam (US$2.23-US$3.19); Indonesia (US$2.67-US$4.93); China (US$3.75- US$6.98); and Thailand (US$5.23-US$7.26).

At US$9.91 (P426), Philippine minimum wages are, however, lower than those in Taiwan (US$20.13) and South Korea (US$30.66). — /NLQ (THE FREEMAN)