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Tuesday, April 01, 2008
CBCP backs wage hike for workers (3:43 p.m.)
MANILA -- As prices of essential commodities and services continue to increase, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) last Tuesday supports move to raise the salary of minimum wage earners.
Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, CBCP president, said the best remedy that the government can do to mitigate the impact of the spiraling prices of basic goods in particular the price of rice being sold in the country is to impose another round of wage hike.
Organized labor group-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) is demanding a P60 across-the board wage hike to help the workers cope with the rising cost of basic goods and services.
But the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) could not act on any petition yet for any wage hike unless the prohibitive period expires on August.
From P350 basic pay in 2006, the National Capital Region (NCR) wage board, an attached agency of Dole granted the P70 salary increase petition of TUCP lodged last year, however, the wage board only approved a P12 additional on the basic pay of the minimum wage earners.
This brings the current wage rate in Metro Manila to P362 per day.
Aside from raising the workers daily pay, Lagdameo also suggested for the Arroyo administration to explore other possible alternatives such as mixing rice with corn or encouraging people to eat vegetable as substitute to rice or even other crops that may be use as alternative to the staple food. (MSN/Sunnex) |
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