7 regional boards set to approve wage increase — DOLE

Seven wage boards are just a step away from granting an increase in the daily take-home pay of workers, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported yesterday.

Labor Undersecretary and DOLE spokesman Benedicto Ernesto Bitonio said the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) confirmed that seven wage boards had declared "supervening conditions" in their respective regions.

Such a condition justifies the granting of an immediate salary hike despite opposition from employers, Bitonio said.

"This means the wage boards can now proceed with deliberations as to how much the (wage) increase would be, the coverage, form and effectivity of the salary grant," he explained.

This development comes on the heels of discouraging news that Congress may not be able to act on the P125 daily wage hike bill for lack of support from members of the House of Representatives.

Authors of the measure seeking a P125 increase in the daily minimum wage tried but failed to get the bill to the plenary sponsorship level. Any bill that reaches this stage must have the support of the majority bloc.

Organized labor yesterday expressed outrage over the possibility that the measure was headed for the graveyard noting that Congress only has three more weeks left before adjourning its first regular session.

Militant labor groups led by Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said the lack of support in Congress for the pending wage bill clearly showed the government’s bias for employers.

"The Arroyo government is bent on protecting the interest of foreign and local businesses at the expense of suffering wage earners," KMU secretary general Joel Maglungsod said.

The labor department, on the other hand, said it was fully aware of how compelling the demand was for a salary adjustment, which President Arroyo had ordered regional wage boards to determine within 30 days, or by the end of this month.

"The wage boards know that it is a pressing issue so we expect them to act with appropriate speed," Bitonio said.

He added that wage boards were also advised to "exercise prudence" and consider the potential consequences of their decisions on employment in their respective regions.

Malacañang expressed confidence that the regional wage boards were doing their job and would meet the 30-day deadline.

"Once more, what we need is a balance between the countervailing interests involved but we hope we can give enough to our workers to tide them through their current difficulties," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said yesterday.

The President’s Labor Day order was for wage boards to come up with their recommendations within 30 days to determine a "reasonable" wage hike that could be granted to workers.

Some employers say they cannot afford large wage increases at this time and should not be forced to grant the hikes. Employers warned that any wage hike that is beyond their capacity to pay may cause their firms to close.

Bitonio pointed out that the main objection of the employers was the basis of declaring supervening conditions and the possibility of a surge in unemployment figures due to a salary hike.

Supervening conditions mean there is an extraordinary increase in the prices of petroleum products and other essential commodities.

"The employers were protesting whether the inflation rate was sufficient to justify the declaration of supervening events and its perceived impact of a new round of salary hike on employment," the labor official said.

Based on DOLE records, the highest emergency cost of living allowance (ECOLA) granted to workers in Metro Manila was P30 while the highest salary hike was P26.50 in 2001.

Bitonio refused to speculate as to how much the wage boards would grant. "But the previous decisions would be incorporated in the discussions so the boards could come up with a reasonable decision."

Last week, the regional tripartite wages and productivity boards (RTWPBs) in Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Western Visayas, Caraga Region and Southern Mindanao declared that supervening conditions prevailed in their areas and that an immediate wage increase was essential.

Bitonio said wage boards in Southern Tagalog, Cordillera Autonomous Region, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Northern and Central Mindanao have also declared supervening conditions.

The NWPC is set to meet today to decide whether or not to confirm the declaration of the six other RTWPBs. NWPC is a tripartite body made up of government, labor and employer representatives.

‘House can’t be blackmailed’

Meanwhile, while organized labor lashed out at Congress for failing to deliberate on the proposed P125 wage hike bill, House leaders hit back by saying the chamber cannot be blackmailed into railroading the measure amid threats of nationwide protests.

"The leadership is giving it priority (status) but we can’t railroad this the way some militants want it. They are even threatening mass actions if they can’t get their way, but this is not how Congress works. We have rules and we have to follow these rules," Majority Leader Prospero Nograles said yesterday.

Nograles said one of those rules provides that a quorum be present before the House can conduct business.

He denied insinuations that the majority has launched an orchestrated move to block the passage of the wage increase bill by ensuring the absence of a quorum whenever the measure is scheduled for debate.

The measure has been endorsed by the labor committee. It is now in the plenary sponsorship stage, meaning the entire House, no longer just the committee, is tackling it. — With Jess Diaz, Aurea Calica