THE Department of Labor and Employment (Dole)-Western Visayas Regional Office said that as of the moment, employees cannot hope for any possible wage increase in the region or in any part of the country.
Dole Western Visayas Regional Director Aida Estabillo said that as per the information provided by the department head Office in Manila, any possible wage hike is unlikely to happen elsewhere in the country as “there is no economic basis” to implement such.
Estabillo added that the food price hike is only temporary and consumers can expect for a price decrease in basic commodities anytime soon.
The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) earlier said “the increase in price in cooking gas and other basic commodities is only holiday-related and would go down soon after the holiday season is over.”
Estabillo said the agency is looking at the prices of oils and basic goods as considerations before any wage hike could be given to wage earners.
Also, all Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs) in all parts of the country may not undertake the annual wage review, unless there is a formal petition for wage hike filed by labor groups this year.
Dole also urged the labor sector to “take a look at the productivity in the country before seeking a wage increase.”
The last wage hike was implemented in 2008, where Metro Manila increased its minimum wage by P20, the biggest that time. Western Visayas, in to which Bacolod City and Negros Occidental belong, adjusted by P15.
Current minimum wage in the region is at P250 a day.