CEBU CITY -- The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Central Visayas (RTWPB-7) is set to hold four public hearings on the two wage hike petitions from various workers organizations.
The regional board received a PHP155.80 across-the-board daily wage adjustment petition collectively filed by the Cebu Labor Coalition, Lonbisco Employees Organization (LEO), METAPHIL Workers Union (MWU), NUWHRAIN-Montebello Chapter, NLM-Katipunan, and Union Bank Employees Association (UBEA) last February.
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) OIC-Regional Director Cyril Ticao said Tuesday the first public hearing will be on April 12 in Dumaguete City and it will be followed by another hearing in Tagbilaran City the next day.
The RTWPB-7 will then hold a public hearing on April 26 in Cebu City and stage the last hearing on May 10 in Bogo City, Northern Cebu.
Ticao, who sits as chairman of the Board, said the petitions for the daily minimum wage adjustment in the Region 7 as well as the positions of other sectors and groups concerned will be presented and heard during the public hearings.
Last month, the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (AU-TUCP) also petitioned for a PHP120 across-the-board daily wage hike.
“We take into consideration the lapse of the one year prescriptive period of the current Wage Order. We agreed to consolidate the two petitions, which will be discussed in detail by all sectors concerned during the scheduled hearings,” said Ticao.
Wage Order No. 20, which took effect on March 10 last year, stipulates the existing minimum wage rates in Central Visayas for both non-agriculture and agriculture sectors.
Ticao said all position have to be formally presented to the Wage Board during the public hearing, which is a requirement in fixing wages.
“Wage fixing is deliberately done on a regular basis in order to ensure that the welfare of those in the vulnerable sector is protected. The task now of the members of the Board is to balance the interest of labor and management,” said Ticao.
The inputs gathered will be instrumental for the Board to be able to arrive at a collective, accurate, and precise decision -- something which is beneficial not only to management and labor but also to the entire region.
All parties against the petitions lodged at the RTWPB-7should file their opposition on or before the scheduled date of public hearing, the DOLE-7 head said.
“Interested parties could ask for a copy of the petitions filed and may examine the contents therein and other related pertinent records at the office of the RTWPB during the usual business hours,” Ticao said.
Under Wage Order No. 20, workers in Class A cities and municipalities or those belonging to the Expanded Metro Cebu Area -- cities of Carcar, Cebu, Danao, Lapulapu, Mandaue, Naga, Talisay and municipalities of Compostela, Consolacion, Cordova, Liloan, Minglanilla, and San Fernando have a PHP366 daily minimum wage rate.
Employees in Class B cities of Toledo and Bogo and municipalities in Cebu Province, except Bantayan and Camotes islands, are currently receiving PHP333 a day, while workers in Class C Tagbilaran City and all municipalities in Bohol and Negros Oriental provinces are earning PHP323 daily.
The workers in Bantayan, Camotes and Class D municipalities in Siquijor Province are currently paid PHP308 per day. (PNA)
