Barely 21 days have since the wage hike petition was junked, the Regional Tripartite and Productivity Board (RTWPB) have considered another pay review following the series of oil price hikes.

The RTWPB on Jan. 7 junked the wage hike petition in Central Visayas for lack of supervening event to increase wages.

In the board meeting on Monday, Jan. 28, Jose Tomungha, a labor representative in RTWPB, said they cannot wait for another one year since RTWPB junked the wage hike petition last Jan. 7.

Tomungha believed that the suffering of the workers on high prices of commodities caused by the Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Law is enough basis to increase the wages.

RTWPB is chaired by Director Johnson Cañete of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 7. The members are Director Efren Carreon of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) 7, Director Asteria Caberte of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Philip Tan for the management, and Tomungha for the labor sector.

Tan said the board last Jan. 7 denied the petition of Cebu Labor Alliance (Celac) and the Associated Labor Unions (ALU) because the prices of rice and the petroleum products were stable.

However, Tomungha said the prices of petroleum products rise again after the inventory of oil companies for 2018 were sold out and begun implementing the second tranche of tax increase.

Cañete said DOLE's focus has changed from wage hike to the Kasambahay after the RTWPB junked the petition last Jan. 7.

Cañete said that RTWPB 7 has scheduled the consultations on Kasambahay wage increase and hearings on March. (EOB)