Monday, May 19, 2008 Nalzaro: Salary hike in Region 7 By Bobby Nalzaro Saksi
THE Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) 7 might approve an P18 increase in the daily minimum wage for private workers in Central Visayas. This is my fearless forecast. Why? My analysis is simple. The wage board might be pressured as a result of the adjustment granted by two wage boards in the National Capital Region (NCR) and in Northern Mindanao.
The NCR wage board has approved a P20 wage adjustment, while the Northern Mindanao (Region 10) has approved a P16 increase. Now if we talk of progress and economic development, Central Visayas, especially Metro Cebu, is second to Metro Manila. It is home to many big factories and industries. In fact, we have foreign investments at the Mactan Export Zone and there are a lot of establishments here engaged in import and export.
However, we can’t compare the cost of living here to the cost of living in Metro Manila, where it’s still much higher. So we cannot expect the RTWPB 7 to give more than the amount given by its counterpart in the NCR. It should be a little bit lower. The recent daily minimum wage in the NCR is higher than here.
Northern Mindanao, which covers the province of Misamis Oriental including Cagayan de Oro City, also cannot also compete in terms of economic development with Metro Cebu. The standard of living there is much lower compared to here. So if the wage board there managed to approve a P16 increase, I cannot find a reason why the wage board in Region 7 cannot give a bigger amount.
Don’t tell me that if other regions which are very far from Metro Cebu in terms of business and economic activity can give that rate, Central Visayas cannot give a higher rate. Although based on previous adjustments, the wage board did not give an across-the-board increase to the region’s workers. It categorized the region into primary, secondary and tertiary areas.
Elias Cayanong, regional director of the Department of Labor and Employment and chairman of the wage board, said the board already agreed that an increase is necessary because of the spiraling prices of basic commodities. Even business representatives in the wage board see the reason for another round of increase. But they are still in the process of conducting consultations on the petitions filed by various labor groups. Well, what’s the use of conducting further consultations when I am sure they will be tied to what was approved in the NCR and in Northern Mindanao.
Granting wage adjustment is always a welcome development for the workers, as it alleviates their plight in view of the rising cost of living brought about by the increase of prices. But sometimes it’s very frustrating and disgusting on the part of labor if their employers cannot implement it. There are so many capitalists out there that even if they can afford to raise their workers’ wages, they still refuse to do so for reasons only known to them. And it’s just unfortunate that the government through the labor department has failed to protect the interest of the workers.
While it is also the duty of the government to protect the interest of the capitalists, it should also show concern for the organized labor. Without the workers, there will be no business to propel our economy. The government should strike a balance between protecting the interest of the capitalists and the working force.
