Labor group wants P147 wage hike

CEBU, Philippines - The Coalition for Living Wage “resurrected” its plan to file another round of wage increase after they deferred it last month.

CLW spokesperson Metudio Belarmino said that practically, “everything” went up in the past weeks such as the increase in the prices of basic necessities and prime commodities.

“Nisaka sad ang tuition fees as well as the Consumer Price Index that deteriorates the purchasing power of the workers,” Belarmino said.

Initially, he said, they will file a P147 daily wage increase for all workers in Central Visayas.

According to him, they have postponed the plan to file the petition pending the public consultation on the P2.50 increase in jeepney fare, which was also being sought.

However, the said petition was withdrawn by the petitioner during the public hearing the other day.

“We were waiting for the said public hearing. So that if there will be a fare adjustment, we can incorporate this to our wage hike petition. Since the fare hike petition was withdrawn, I think the amount that we will be asking is more or less the same,” Belarmino said.

Jose Tomongha, chairman of Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa-Visayas and one of the petitioners under CLW said that they may no longer wait for the one-year ban to end before another wage hike petition will be filed.

“There are supervening conditions, which is an exemption to the rule. Nisaka na ang presyo sa bugas, asukal, lana ug uban pa,” Tomongha added.

Under the rules, wage boards are not allowed to adjust workers’ salaries for a year since the last increase unless they find supervening conditions.

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-7 granted a P13 per day Cost of Living Allowance for workers receiving minimum wage in Central Visayas last February 14 that took effect on March 21 under Wage Order Number 18, the latest wage order.

The said order is subject to a six months review after its implementation.

To recall, CLW, which is composed of 40 different labor unions and organizations, has filed a P132 per day wage increase in September 2013 while on November of the same year, the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines sought a P90 per day wage hike for all the workers in the region. —/NSA (FREEMAN)