The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB-6) has kicked off a series of consultations on a joint petition for a P100 increase in the daily wage of minimum wage earners in Western Visayas.
The joint wage hike petition was filed by the United Labor for Western Visayas and the Iloilo Pepsi Cola Workers Independent Union last March.
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-6) regional director Atty. Sixto T. Rodriguez, Jr, who also sits as chairman of RTWPB-6, said the regionwide consultations aim to help them come up with a “fair and just wage adjustment” that will benefit both the employers and the workers.
“Through this consultation, we hope to gather insights from you which will shape policies that are grounded in the actual needs of the workers and the current economic situation. This will give us the idea on how to approach and address wage concerns.”
The two labor groups sought to raise the minimum wage in the region due to “the effect of escalating prices of basic goods and services on the purchasing power and the value of the Philippine peso.”
According to them, the proposed wage increase “would compensate for the losses of their salaries due to the effect of the inflation, citing that this will have a positive implication for the region’s economy.”
The region’s inflation rate inflation rate in June this year was at 6.1 percent according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA-6).
Rodriguez said the business and management sector, in a separate session, claimed that raising the salaries of the workers could stagnate and slow down business activities which may result in limited job opportunities.
The business sector suggested the upscaling of the skills of workers to increase productivity, highlighting that the salary increase should be productivity-based or performance-based.
Currently, the daily minimum wage is P420 for those working in establishments with 10 workers or less, P450 for those working in establishments with more than 10 workers, and P410 for agricultural workers.IMT
