The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) 6 has recently concluded the public consultation on the raised wage issues in Western Visayas.
It can be recalled that this started with a petition for a wage increase received by the DOLE 6 Regional Office through its Negros Occidental Field Office filed by the Fishta Union of Employees for Reforms Through Solidarity Actions (FUERSA-Super) on February 24.
From then, the wage board conducted a meeting on March 21 and agreed to determine the merits of the petition through public consultation.
Accordingly, a series of consultations have been scheduled regionwide to include the workers and the employers’ group in Negros Occidental on April 8, Iloilo City covering the provinces of Iloilo, Antique, Capiz, and Guimaras on April 11, and Aklan Province on April 12.
In the three consultations, employees supported the petition on the proposed increase in the daily minimum wage to P750.
On the other hand, most of the employers and business owners were hesitant about the proposed increase. The stated reasons raised by them were that most of the businesses are still recuperating from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the onslaught of recent calamities.
Furthermore, they also raised the concern that the increase in daily wage may result in inflation because the businesses will increase the prices of products and services to cover the additional expenses in the salaries.
Meanwhile, most of them agreed with the increase of 10 to 30 percent from the current P395 per day minimum wage. This means that the added value would be from P39.50 to P118.50.
With these, DOLE 6 Regional Director lawyer Sixto T. Rodriguez, who is also the Chair of the RTWPB 6, assured that all arguments and petitions are considered and the Board will deliberate as soon as possible and come up with a decision.
“The Board will sit down and deliberate. Kung araw-araw ang kailangan, we have to meet and decide whether or not we have to issue a wage order,” said Rodriguez in a press release.
He also expressed his appreciation for the peaceful and productive participation of the labor and management groups in the conduct of the said public consultations. (DOLE6)
Caption:
The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) 6 starts the series of public consultations on wage issues with the workers and the employers’ group in Negros Occidental. (DOLE 6 photo)
