RTWPB-7 starts hearing petitions for wage hike

CEBU, Philippines — A series of public hearings has been scheduled by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB)-7 on the petitions for wage increase in Central Visayas.

At least five consultations have been set starting on July 10 in Bogo City and July 26 in Cebu City. For the month of August the schedules are in the City of Naga (Aug. 1); Bohol (Aug. 10); and Negros Oriental (Aug. 11).

All concerned individuals and organizations are invited to attend the public hearing and let their sentiments be heard.

The wage board is currently deliberating two joint petitions for wage increase. One is seeking for a P100 increase in the daily minimum wage while the other is demanding P292.50 among private workers and P1,000 for domestic helpers.

The petitions were filed by 20 labor groups joining together.

The labor group Alyansa sa Mamumuong Kontraktwal sa Sugbo (ALSA Kontraktwal Cebu) demands an immediate increase in salary citing the dire economic crisis as valid justification.

The Partido Manggagawa-Cebu along with 10 other labor groups also seeks P100 increase in the daily minimum wage for Central Visayas. Joining PM-Cebu in the wage hike petition were Sentro ng Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggawa (SENTRO), Globalwear Employees Union-PIGLAS (GEU-PIGLAS), Association of Globalwear Supervisory Employees Union–PIGLAS (AGSEU-PIGLAS), MEPZ Workers Alliance (MWA), Workers Organization of LAMI Food (WOLF), Prince Warehouse Club Mandaue Employees Union–LAW (PWCMEU – LAW), ILAW–Buklod ng Manggagawa-United Miners of Carmen Copper (IBM-UMCC-WSN), KEPCO Cebu Employees Union-Workers Solidarity Network (KCEA-WSN), ILAW at Buklod ng Manggagawa sa General Milling Corporation (IBM-GMC), and Bohol Alliance of Labor Organizations (BALO).

Another group of petitioners seeks an increase of P292.50 among private workers and P1,000 monthly for  domestic helpers or kasambahay in Central Visayas.

The group is composed of Metudio Belarmino, spokesperson of Cebu Labor Coalition; Alvin Pino, president of LONBISCO Employees Organization (LEO; Melchor Atupan, president of Metaphil Workers Union (MWU); Nicholou Malazarte, president of Union Bank Employees Association (UBEA); Paul Alvin Fajardo, representative of CELAC; Clarisa Torino, president of United Domestic Workers of the Philippines; Bonifacio Tiongzon, president of Transasia Union; and Alan Gascon, board of director of the Cebu City Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (CCTIPC).

The last wage increase granted by RTWPB-7 was P31 for all private sector workers and P500 monthly increase for domestic workers in the region. It took effect on June 14, 2022. — (FREEMAN)