for P150 wage hike
The Regional Tripartite Wages & Productivity Board in Central Visayas is scheduled to hold a public hearing on Sept. 3 in Dumaguete to determine the wage increase for minimum wage earners.
This public hearing is one of five hearings that will be conducted in Central Visayas for that purpose.
The Regional Wage Board will also be in Balamban, Cebu on Aug. 28; in Bogo City on Aug. 30; and in Tagbilaran City in Bohol on Sept. 4.
Labor and Employment Director and RTWPB-7 Chairperson Lilia Estillore said the new wage increase will take effect in October.
“We are yet to decide as to the amount (of the wage increase) after a series of hearings that we will conduct Region-wide,” she said on the sidelines of the public hearing last week at DepEd Eco-Tech Center in Cebu.
Estillore said the wage increase would cover only the minimum wage earners.
“If you are receiving a salary that is higher than the minimum wage, you’re not covered. So there might be wage distortions that must be resolved by the Labor Management Council. If not resolved, it would be brought to the National Labor Relations Commission,” she added.
The National Wages & Productivity Commission defines the income required to cover the cost of living, including all food and non-food necessities, as being enough for savings and investments to ensure social security.
Accordingly, a living wage is essential to meet a worker’s basic needs such as food, housing, healthcare, and other critical expenses.
Labor groups have proposed a P150 wage increase. (PNA)
