In provisionary cola, not wage: Wage board oks P13 hike

CEBU, Philippines - Labor forces did not have a happy Valentine’s Day yesterday as the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board yesterday junked the wage hike petition and instead gave a provisionary Cost of Living Allowance.

Under the wage order carried during yesterday’s final deliberation, minimum wage earners in Central Visayas only get an additional P13 in COLA daily.

After six months, the board is to meet and deliberate on whether or not to make the COLA allotment final and permanent.

However, areas hit by recent calamities like quake-hit Bohol and Yolanda-battered northern Cebu are exempted from the P13 additional receivable.

Labor representative to the RTWPB, Jose Tomongha, saw this as only favoring the employers’ sector and disregarding the workers.

“According to the board, these areas are exempted from the COLA because apparently the area is still at the recovery stage. This is exactly the same argument we are using in pushing for the inclusion of these areas. The workers, just like the employers, are also recovering from these calamities, which is why there is a need for them to be included,” Tomongha said.

Tomongha expressed dismay over the disapproval of the petition and apologized that he failed to push for the rights of the labor force.

“Dako akong kasagmuyo nga napakyas ko sa pagdepensa sa among petition. During the deliberation, ming move ko to divide the house aron mabotaran na ang petition sa labor groups. Pero ang government representatives ming move nga instead nga wage increase, COLA ang ihatag ug mao ang na aprobahan,” said Tomongha, who is also head of the Alliance of Progressive Labor in Cebu and Central Visayas.

Last October 2012, APL filed a P132-wage hike petition before the RTWPB whose final deliberation was held yesterday. Because recent developments did not favor the labor force, Tomongha said he plans to step down from the board.

“Mo-submit pa kog report ngadto sa national office sa APL dayon mananghid nga mo-resign na ko. Kung tugtan ko, ayha pa ko mo-tender ug resignation. Para nako walay pulos ang board. Inutil ni. Konswelo de bobo nalang nang COLA,” Tomongha added.

Another labor group, PM, expressed disgust over the decision not to grant the wage hike and give the COLA instead.

“P13 increase is an insult for the working class. Kuwang pa na sa usa ka lata nga sardinas. This increase cannot be felt by the workers, it has no impact considering the rising cost of living,” PM spokesman Dennis Derige said.

They further called for the abolition of the RTWPB.

“We call for the abolition of the wage board and replace it with a national living wage commission whose primary mandate is to implement the living wage nationwide and across the board,” Derige said.

Central Visayas currently has a minimum wage of P327, an amount that Tomongha said is not decent enough to feed an entire family. —/BRP (FREEMAN)