Sunday, August 12, 2007 Wage increase a closed issue: businessman
CONTRARY to Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) Director Elias Cayanong’s pronouncement, a member of the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board (RTWPB) 7 considered their decision not to grant any wage hike this year as already “a closed issue.”
Management sector representative Hidelito Pascual said that although Cayanong was not around, majority of the body’s members voted against the petitions of Associated Labor Unions (ALU) and Trade Unions of the Philippines and Allied Services (Tupas).
With Cayanong absent as RTWPB 7 chairman, vice chairman and Department of Trade and Industry 7 Director Asteria Caberte took over as presiding officer during the deliberation last Aug. 9.
But Cayanong told Sun.Star that the board cannot make a major decision if not all members are in attendance.
He said that what the board did was simply deny ALU’s petition for a P75 across-the-board increase and Tupas’ P136.20 wage hike proposal.
Earlier, Caberte said that the board has already decided against an increase.
Cayanong had announced that he will still call a board meeting next week to decide by how much they would raise workers’ pay.
Pascual, though, said that he cannot attend because he will be abroad for two weeks.
And businessman Charles Streegan, another management representative to the RTWPB, will also be out of the country by the time he is back, he told radio dyLA. (EOB)
