(File photo)
MANILA – The National Capital Region - Regional Wages and Productivity Board (NCR-RTWPB) on Tuesday said it will reconvene to discuss the wage hike petition refiled by the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP).
“So on April 8, we will also consider the petition of TUCP whether to include it in the consolidated petitions or if it will not be given due course. It looks like the petition is not anymore across the board and we might consider it. But we must convene again and discuss the petition,” NCR-RTWPB chairperson Sara Mirasol said in a virtual forum.
Mirasol said these consolidated petitions include those filed by the Unity for Wage Increase Now (UWIN) and the Metro East Labor Federation and Solidarity of Unions in the Philippines for Empowerment and Reforms.
The UWIN's petition was earlier filed on Nov. 25, 2019, but was not acted upon because of the implementation of health and safety protocols due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
She added the salary increase being asked for by the groups ranges from PHP213 to PHP250.
Mirasol also defended the board's rejection of the TUCP's initial petition, citing jurisdiction issues.
“It was not given due course since we do not have any authority to grant the minimum wage increase across the board in the National Capital Region. I will just clarify that the authority is only the minimum wage. The lowest floor wage cannot be below that. When you say across the board, it involves all wages and that is beyond the jurisdiction of the wage board,” Mirasol said.
On Monday, the TUCP announced that the wage board has rejected its petition for a PHP470 increase in the salaries of minimum wage earners. (PNA)
