Sunday, September 30, 2007 Board wants pay hike soon
THE P9 increase in minimum wage for Metro Cebu workers and P5 for employees in the rest of Central Visayas will take effect within October, said Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Council (RTWPB) Chairman Elias Cayanong.
Cayanong, also Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) 7 director, said no change was made in the figures during their meeting last night.
The increase will bring the minimum wage in Metro Cebu to P250 much sooner than expected, after some board members initially announced that workers might have to wait until January 2008 for the increase to take effect.
The last adjustment before this was made on July 16, 2006.
The new wage order will be forwarded to the National Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board for review and approval.
“This is 90 percent complete. After the validation by the central office, it will be published, and then implemented,” Cayanong said.
He described last night’s meeting as civil and the mood as light.
“Probably they (management) are satisfied because they went for it (increase). Of course, it is a collegial decision so everything is a go now,” Cayanong said.
Hidelito Pascual, management representative to the RTWPB, said they will not put off the increase until January 2008 because after the national wage board approves it, the wage order will be immediately published in a newspaper of general circulation.
Pascual said that under the law, the new minimum wage will take effect 15 days after the publication.
The wage board will also draw up the implementing rules.
Marianito Ventura of the Trade Unions of the Philippines and Allied Services, who represents the labor sector in RTWPB, said that he is still not happy with the increase because it is not enough for the workers.
“Wa ko malipay. I have no more comment,” Ventura said.
Director Marlene Rodriguez of the National Economic and Development Authority 7 explained why Western Visayas got a P12 per increase in daily pay compared with Central Visayas’ P9.
Rodriguez said statistics show that Central Visayas is only fifth in terms of economic growth while Western Visayas is third among the country’s regions.
She reacted to the statement of Joy Lim of the Associated Labor Unions, who questioned the disparity.
Rodriguez said they came up with P9 and P5 because of the different economic conditions in Metro Cebu and other areas Cebu Province and the rest of Region 7.
When asked if the new minimum wage of P250 per day is enough for a family of five, Rodriguez said the amount should not be applied to a family where only one person is working.
“Usually in a family of five, it’s not only one person who is making a living but two, three or sometimes all of them,” she said.
She further said that it is not an obligation of the company to adjust the wages so all the family members can be fed.
Director Asteria Caberte of the Department of Trade and Industry 7 said they agreed last night to make no exemptions to the coverage of the new minimum wage order.
“There will be uniform implementation,” she said.
After a meeting with the management sector and the heads of the different business chambers, Caberte said they also agreed to push for a stronger advocacy on compliance with the new wage order.
The chambers, she said, will make sure companies will heed labor laws. (EOB)
