Businesses in Bohol admits: Not ready for new wage hike

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines  — Business establishments in Bohol might opt to retrench workers or close shops in case of another round of wage increase, according to the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

This statement from the business group came when the petitions of two labor groups earned the merit of attention from the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board after establishing that supervening conditions now exist.

Marietta Gasatan, president of the BCCI, warned that it would be inevitable for some companies to either downsize their workforce or close shops. She however clarified that the organization was never against the idea of a wage hike, but then it is just untimely yet to do so because businesses in the province are still recovering from the global financial crisis since the previous years.

Gasatan also admitted the tourism sector of Bohol had been affected by the hostage-taking at Quirino Grandstand and the recent Japan earthquake. Besides, the last round of wage increase is barely one year old only, she said.

Local businessmen took note on the statement of Ernesto Carreon, one of the labor representatives to the wage board, expressing optimism that by end of September this year, a new wage order might be out.

The BCCI planned to formally ask RTWPB-7 to dissect the advantages and disadvantages of another wage hike to assess thoroughly its impact on both the investors and the labor sector.

The BCCI recently convened to tackle the situation now that the RTWPB in Central Visayas already declared that the supervening conditions existed.

The board ruling means that it can now entertain the two across-the-board wage hike petitions filed by Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) and the Alliance of Progressive Labor.

ALU-TUCP batted for P100 a day, while APL asked for P120 hike per day.

The DTI-7 however told The FREEMAN that the RTWPB-7 resolution will still be forwarded to the national wage board, after which a schedule of the deliberation will be set. It is not yet certain also on how much the wage hike will be, it said. (FREEMAN)