RTWPB now assessing wage petitions

According to Atty. Calixto Valaquio of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board, it  has already conducted an initial meeting to assess the petition and will meet again next week.  It will be recalled that the last wage increase in Region 6 was last August 16, 2004.

Normally, Valaquio said, in minimum wage fixing, the board should not increase the wage laws when the existing wage order is less than one year old unless there are supervening events. That is why, Valaquio said the board is assessing the series of situations that will warrant the supervening event and then the board will act accordingly. 

On the other hand, while the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines has petitioned for a P78 to P150.00 wage hike, the business sector has served notice that all they can afford is P30.  The Central Bank agrees that the said P30 increase is adequate as an increase for the workers in the private sector. 

According to BSP OIC Amando Tetango Jr. the wage hike should be limited to ensure that this will not affect the economic growth of the country. Tetango warned that prices of goods and services might further rise if the wage increase would be more than P30. This is also the position of the businessmen who belong to the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP).

In Malacañang, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said there is a middle ground between the differences in the amounts proposed.  But what that middle ground is, Bunye said, has to be the subject of give and take between the representatives of labor and the representatives of management.

The    Press    Secretary    said    the    Regional  Tripartite   Wages   and Productivity  Boards should be given wide leeway, but reasonable adjustment at this time is warranted.

Regarding the possibility of a legislated wage hike, Bunye said we should first start with the Regional Tripartite Wage Boards that are in place and  in  place  because  conditions may vary  from  region to  region.   So,  the regional wage boards should first be given a chance to operate and fulfill their mandate.

Reacting to calls of the KMU to abolish the Regional Tripartite Wage Boards, Bunye said the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boardswas created by law,hence a law should also mandate their abolition.  Since they also have representatives in Congress, Bunye said they could probably file the appropriate bills.

The Regional Tripartite Wage Board has for its members, the DOLE Regional Director as chairman with the Directors of NEDA and DTI as Co chair.  Its members include two representatives from the workers group and also two from the management group. (PIA6)