Sunday, December 09, 2007 P45 daily wage hike proposed
TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) conducted a one-day public hearing and consultation to get the pulse of employers on the P45 proposed increase, but ended without result.
Regional Board Secretary Teodoro Delson said the issue on wage hike is a matter the national government has to intervene to balance the situation where economic gains have to be equally benefiting or has to trickle down to the workers to raise their status in life.
Government has sought the corporate responsibility of the business sector that partly contributed to the significant achievement in the national economic growth as a result of their workers high productivity.
The RTWPB proposed a P45 additional daily wage hike for workers in Kalinga to become P275 if approved from the P229 current minimum wage.
Human Resource and Management Officer (HRMO) Engineer Domingo Bakilan, who represented the provincial government of Kalinga, underscored the plight of workers needing additional income to meet their day's needs. He also appealed to employers to consider the welfare of their employees.
"Your workers are the prime movers of your productivity. A productive worker leads to the growth of your business," Bakilan told participants in trying to justify the wage increase. He stressed to the employers that workers are the most important input in the business, hence they should get the "right pay".
Bakilan recognized that with income improving for both the company and the worker, it would mean additional taxes due the government. He acknowledged the vital role of employers in the revenue generation of the government and their contribution to the economic development of the province.
During the consultation, employers pressed for a status quo defending that they have no other sources of income to implement an increase in the daily wage, considering the weak paying capacity of clients and the buying ability of consumers.
Doctor Jaime Almora, director of the Almora General Hospital and Get Well Drug stores, cited they have no other sources of additional increase on wage other than their patrons. "Our clients are dependent on rice production, a seasonal occupation which limits their spending and purchasing power."
Almora instead put the blame on the increasing prices of goods and the notably high taxes, which are affecting the purchasing power of the people. "Business is only a conduit of money and not the source."
Delson answered the prime goal of a business is to earn profit. "Before establishing business, the businessman has already planned and analyzed the expenses they are going to entail, which includes the wages of laborers."
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