TUCP dismayed with Wage Board’s decision to junk wage petition

TUCP President Raymond Mendoza
(TUCP Party-List / MANILA BULLETIN)

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has expressed dismay over the decision of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) National Capital Region to junk their wage petition.

TUCP President Raymond Democrito Mendoza said it showed the gross insensitivity of the RTWPB to the plight of workers and their families.

“The RTWPB of NCR clearly acted in bad faith in not even going into the merits of the case. With the wages that Filipino workers receive, our petition precisely pointed out that workers and their families – based on their minimum wages – can only feed themselves and their families nutritionally deficient meals,” he said in a statement.

“A competent and globally competitive workforce will not be achievable if we have a malnourished labor force that is prey to illnesses and unable to reach their full potential,” added Mendoza.

He said the capacity of the Filipino worker to produce world-class talent and skills is wasted when the current and next generation of workers have to deal with pangs of hunger and the struggle to feed their family.

“How can the government expect the people to keep up with the demands of a rapidly changing work environment when the future of this country go to school and go to bed hungry?” Mendoza asked.

TUCP earlier filed a petition for a daily wage increase of PHP710 in NCR to be added to the existing minimum wage of PHP537.

Using the “Pinggang Pinoy” model of the Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition and Research Institute (DOST-FNRI), TUCP pointed out that using the existing minimum wage of P537 in NCR, and utilizing the projected expenditure rate of 42.5% for food, the budget per person per meal for a family of 5 would amount to a measly budget of PHP10.05.

However, the group said the RTWPB dismissed the wage petition on the mere technicality that the wage petition was filed within the one year period from the last wage order.

“The RTWPBs said there was no supervening event such as an unusual increase in the prices of basic goods like petroleum, and services for a designated period. TUCP asks! Isn’t hunger a supervening event?” asked Mendoza

In a Board Resolution dated June 7, the RTWPB NCR said there is no supervening conditions which would merit a review of the minimum wage rates.

“Now, therefore, the Board resolves, as it hereby resolves without delving into the substance, that the petitions for wage increase filed by BPO Industry Employees Network, Pambansang Kilusan ng Nagkakaisang Manggagawa, Metal Workers Alliance of the Philippines, and TUCP cannot be given due course at this time,” it read. - By Leslie Ann Aquino

Labor group calls on Duterte to abolish all wage boards

Business World file photo

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) is urging President Duterte to abolish all wage boards in the country and replace it with a singular wage-fixing body that will determine a uniform minimum wage rate nationwide.

TUCP President Raymond Mendoza also said there is now an “urgent need” for the President to begin the process of abolishing the differentiated provincial rates by overhauling the 30-year-old current wage setting structure because “the current minimum wage setting mechanism only favors those businesses and no longer balances the interest of workers.”

“The wage board is key in achieving equality and social justice for workers. Its mandate is to ensure that our economic growth also benefits the workers. However, our economy is growing and business enterprises have been prospering but the workers who helped built that wealth remains impoverished,” Mendoza said in a statement on Sunday.

The 17 wage boards across the country were created in 1989 through Republic Act 6727 also known as Wage Rationalization Act. Its mandate is to set minimum wage that protects workers’ welfare and promote enterprise and workers productivity.

Despite the wage increase orders issued last year, workers’ minimum wages across all sectors nationwide still failed to reach even half of the P1,400 daily standard amount set by the National Economic and Development Authority for a family of five to live a comfortable life, the group said.

According to TUCP, the average minimum wage was raised to P374 a day by the end of 2018, from P340 during the first quarter of the same year.

The TUCP even noted that Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III admitted last week that the Metro Manila wage board should have granted a P100 daily wage hike to enable workers cope with rising inflation rather than a mere P25 daily wage increase on its wage order issued on November last year.

“We have reached a point where even the secretary of labor openly admitted the discrepancy. This is an affirmation of the TUCP observation that wage boards have become obsolete and irrelevant to equate in the balance of labor and capital the interest of workers in these generation where there are no more boundaries,” Mendoza said.

Also, before the abolition of wage boards, the group noted that there should be a review of the wage increase orders issued last year.

“Before overhauling the wage fixing mechanism, President Duterte must order all 17 regional wage boards across the country to immediately review and adjust their issued wage orders to a uniform daily P100 wage hike as stated by Secretary Bello as the amount the board should have granted to lift workers out of poverty,” Mendoza said. - Bernadette D. Nicolas

Labor groups seek wage hike

Rappler file photo

The country’s biggest labor group will file a petition for a substantial across-the-board wage increase for the more than six million minimum wage earners in Metro Manila (National Capital Region) and in other regions.

The Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), through spokesman Alan Tanjuay, disclosed on Sunday the group, along with six other labor organizations, has filed separate across-the-board wage hike, ranging from P120 to P155.80 across-the-board for workers in Central Visayas.

Director Cyril Ticao, chairman of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Cebu, has confirmed that a P155.80 across-the-board daily wage adjustment petition was collectively filed by the Cebu Labor Coalition, Lonbisco Employees Organization (LEO), Metaphil Workers Union, NUWHRAIN-Montebello Chapter, NLM-Katipunan, and the Union Bank Employees Association (UBEA).

The ALU-TUCP, on the other hand, separately filed for a P120 across-the-board daily wage hike.

All petitions, Ticao said, have to be formally presented to the Wage Board in a public hearing, which is a requirement in fixing wages.

Tanjusay said ALU-TUCP would also soon be filing a wage increase petition before the National Capital Region-RTWPB as soon as the group finishes its ongoing study on the inflationary effect of the TRAIN law.

“We are studying well the inflation rate brought about by the natural law of supply and demand and the inflation caused by TRAIN. The amount will be definitely substantial, regardless of whether they will grant it or not,” Tanjusay said.

He said the purchasing power of wages moved downwards by 6 percent from January to February upon the effectivity of the Tax Reform Inclusion and Acceleration (TRAIN) law.

He added that in Metro Manila, which has the highest minimum wage, the buying power of P512 daily minimum pay fell to P357.29, while the real value or purchasing power of the country’s lowest minimum pay of P265 a day in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is now P152.12 a day.

As of March 1, the total purchasing power of workers for a month fell to P8,575. However, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the published standard amount needed by a family of five to survive within poverty line in 2015 was P9,064.

The last wage increase amounting to P21 per day was granted to minimum wage earners in Metro Manila on October 5, 2017.

Tanjusay said ALU-TUCP could simultaneously file petitions either through the 17 regional wage boards or through an emergency legislation via the House of Representatives.

The last time workers experienced a significant wage hike was in 1989 or 29 years ago when the late President Corazon Aquino gave a P25 daily across-the-board wage increase nationwide.- BY WILLIAM DEPASUPIL, TMT

CVisayas seeks P120 wage hike

ManilaTimes file photo

THE Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) is seeking a P120 daily wage increase for all workers in Central Visayas.

Nora Analyn Diego, ALU-TUCP regional vice president, said they will file the wage hike petition before the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) this Wednesday.

She said the P120 daily wage hike petition is essential for the workers to cope with the increasing cost of living and meet the basic needs of their families.

Meanwhile, Antonio Chiu, president of Cebu Chamber of Commerce, said they have yet to issue a comment on ALU-TUCP petition. - BY RHEA RUTH ROSELL

Metro Manila housemaids to get P1,000 wage hike this December

Domestic workers in Metro Manila would receive an additional P1,000 in their salary this December as the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-National Capital Region (RTWPB-NCR) approved wage increase last November 30.

GMA 7 news program "24 Oras Weekend" reported on Saturday that the order was confirmed by Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III.

With the increase, employers will be required to pay domestic workers a wage of P3,500, instead of P2,500.

The adjustment covers "general househelp; yaya; cook; gardener; laundry person or any person who regularly perform domestic work in one household on an occupational basis."

The wage board clarified that "service providers; family drivers; children under foster family arrangement and any other person who performs work occasionally or sporadically and not on occupational basis," are not covered by the order.

The board added that any violation of the order shall be punishable with a fine of not less than P10,000 but not more than P40,000 "without prejudice to the filing of the appropriate civil and/or criminal action by the aggrieved party."

The increase will take effect 15 days after the order is published in a newspaper of general circulation.

The Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) called the increase an "early Christmas gift for our kasambahays."

"We are happy that the wage board has granted the increase. With the falling value of wages , household helpers also needed the raise to cope with rising cost of living," ALU-TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay said.

A domestic helper, a mother who also wanted to finish her own schooling, was brought to tears when she learned of the wage increase.

"Parang naiiyak ako. Hindi, natutuwa lang po kung sakaling matuloy po 'yan," said Marissa Merino.

"So siyempre, sila, yung sacrifice na mag-travel ka pa to manila just to earn a living for your family, they deserve talaga an increase." Marissa's employer chimed. — Margaret Claire Layug/DVM, GMA News

Metro Manila minimum wage earners to get P21 more starting October 5

Non-agricultural workers will now receive P512 per day while agriculture and service workers will get P475 per day

MINIMUM WAGE. The additional P21 minimum wage will be given starting October 5, 2017. File photo by AFP

MANILA, Philippines – Starting Thursday, October 5, minimum wage earners in Metro Manila will receive an additional P21 in their daily basic wage.

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-National Capital Region granted the increase on September 14 through Wage Order NCR-21. The order was published in the Philippine Star on September 20.

Non-agricultural workers will now have a daily minimum wage of P512 from their previous pay of P491. Agriculture, retail, and service establishments with at most 15 workers and manufacturing businesses with less than 10 workers should pay their employees a minimum rate of P475.

The Wage Board clarified that domestic workers, persons "in the personal service of another," and employees of registered Barangay Micro Business Enterprises (BMBEs) are not covered by the order.

Household workers in Metro Manila and first class municipalities should receive a salary of at least P2,000 under Republic Act 10361 or the Batas Kasambahay Act.

Meanwhile, those paid on a per task basis are also entitled to the new rate for every 8-hour work per day.

The approved wage rate is way below the amounts proposed by the labor unions that petitioned for a hike last June.

The Associated Labor Unions (ALU) sought a P184 increase, while the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) asked for a P259 increase and the Association of Minimum Wage Earners and Advocates (AMWEA) wanted the minimum wage to be raised to P1,200 in 4 tranches.

Labor unions argued that the purchasing power of the P491 daily wage has slid to P354.51 based on government figures. (READ: Labor union to wage board, employers: Try living on P357 a day)

They are still calling on President Rodrigo Duterte to grant the P500 subsidy for workers similar to the conditional cash grant under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

Meanwhile, leftist union Kilusang Mayo Uno renewed its call to establish a national minimum wage of P750 instead of individual rates per region. – Rappler.com Patty Pasion @pattypasion

Dole asks more sectors to file position papers until Aug. 26

FOLLOWING the wage petitions filed by some labor groups, the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) wants the public and the concerned sectors to understand that they have yet to deliberate on the matter.

With this, Dole 7 Director Exequiel Sarcauga asked more sectors to file position papers until Aug. 26.
“The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) cannot yet make any decision regarding the two petitions filed asking for across-the-board daily minimum wage increase in Region 7 right after the conduct of the regional public hearing,” said Sarcauga, who also chairs the RTWPB, in a press statement.

Hearing

The hearing last Thursday, Sarcauga said, aimed to guarantee that all ideas, rejoinders, issues and concerns of different sectors could be considered.

It was attended by various chapters of chamber and commerce industry as well as representatives from the wholesalers association, consumer groups, representatives from the academe, among others.
“It targets to ensure broad participation of stakeholders and other parties affected by the wage adjustment. It also helps generate data on the views or position of stakeholders on petitions for such move,” Sarcauga further explained.

Hike

He said the RTWPB will schedule a deliberation of the two wage hike petitions presented and submitted to their office.

Since last month, labor groups had been pursuing for the labor agency to grant a wage increase.

Metudio Belarmino Jr. of Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) filed for a minimum wage adjustment of P145 or a P432 daily minimum wage.

Increase

On the other hand, Arturo Barit of Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) filed for an increase of P92 or a P485 daily minimum wage in Central Visayas.
“I appreciate the arguments of the labor and management sectors. Both are equally correct and sensible. Our problem and concern now is how to create and establish balance when faced with two correct issues in order to come up with a reasonable, practical and viable solution,” Sarcauga said.

Kasambahay

Sarcauga also encouraged the sectors to include in their position papers the concerns of the kasambahay or domestic helpers.
Architect Benjamin Avila of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Robert Go of Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry and lawyer Manolette Dinsay of the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Siquijor Chamber of Commerce and Industry said during the public hearing last Thursday that any wage increase is untimely and will increase employment rate and inflation rate. - By
EARL JON M. RALLOS / SunStar

P89 wage increase in Northern Mindanao pushed

CAGAYAN DE ORO. In an ongoing construction along the Cagayan de Oro riverbank, Johnny measures these steel bars. On Friday, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-Northern Mindanao held a public consultation on the P89 wage hike pushed for by the workers in the region. (Harold Jess Siason, Liceo intern)

CAGAYAN DE ORO -- Workers in Northern Mindanao are pushing for the P89 wage increase in the region to cope with the soaring prices of basic commodities.

On Friday, April 17, the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) regional office, through the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board (RTWPB), and the National Economic Development Agency (Neda) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) conducted a public hearing to provide stakeholders a platform to discuss the impact of the daily minimum wage increase petition.



With the petition, the daily minimum wage will be P395 from the current P306.

High economic growth

During the public hearing, Neda-Northern Mindanao Director Leon Dacanay Jr. updated the audience of the economy in the region since 2013. He emphasized that Northern Mindanao has maintained its P250 billion economic growth and its Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) of P55.06 billion, which remains to be the highest among Mindanao regions.

Dacanay, who is also the vice chairperson of RTWPB-Northern Mindanao, said the value of rice production increased to 8.79 percent or 3.9 billion metric tons, resulting in the stabilization of the rice prices in the middle of 2014.

Dacanay cited that in the coconut industry, the nut production in the region has increased to 1.18 percent or P1.8 billion from 2013 to 2014, while the copra production remained stagnant with 0.03 percent or P438,852. The overall production of major crops like vegetables, fruits and root crops rose to 4.4 percent or 7.8 million metric tons last year.

But Dacanay said that despite the high economic growth, the magnitude of poor people continues to rise although the employment rate is relatively stable.

"Inflation rate continues to fall since the decline of the world oil prices that started in the middle of last year. However, the purchasing power of the peso declined by 3.6 centavos as of February 2015 from June 2013," he said.

Soaring prices of basic commodities

In the public hearing, the Associated Labor Union–Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) presented its petition for the P89 increase and the reason why it should be granted to the workers.

According to Nicandro Borja, regional vice president of ALU-TUCP, 42 percent of a worker’s daily wage goes to food.
The 42 percent of the minimum daily wage in the city is P128.52. "And when you subtract that amount to P306, the amount left for the worker would only be P177.56 per day," Borja said.

With the continuing rise of the prices of basic commodities every day, workers are left destitute with what they can take home to their families given their minimum starvation “dying wage,” he said.

He added the daily minimum wage is insufficient especially that workers spend the expenses on the transport fare and meal plus the payment of electric and water bills.

If a worker has children who are students, their budget would be divided to the tuition, as well as the “baon” or allowance of the children, he said.

Aside from those expenses, a worker also spends for clothing, medicines and/or vitamins and and [of course] recreation, he added.
“And if their family does not have a house, they would [again] slash out their budget to paying the monthly rent,” he said.

No dramatic surge of prices on basic commodities

But the DTI said there is no dramatic incident where the price of the basic commodities has increased.

Lawyer Fel Lester Brillantes, DTI-Northern Mindanao chief of Consumer Welfare Division (CID), said that in the comparative price monitoring report from the second quarter of 2014 to the first quarter of this year, the products monitored like canned goods, instant noodles, iodized rock salt, flour and processed canned pork have maintained their suggested retail price (SRP).

The DTI considers a red flag when the increase of prices is more than 10 percent.

Brillantes said not all products are monitored by DTI because there are other implementing agencies like the Department of Agriculture (DA), which monitors prices of agriculture produce.

“In the case of the daily minimum wage of 306 pesos, investors may look at this as preference in choosing where to invest. And that is our advantage,” Dacanay said.

He added that the capacity of the region to give a wage increase depends to more than 95 percent of small and medium enterprises, which need to be taken into consideration.

Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce president Cerael Donggay said the P89 minimum wage increase is too much.

“The increase should not be too drastic to prevent an adverse effect to the business sector. Maybe a P4 increase will do,” Donggay said. (Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro)

TUCP: Wage hike moratorium ended October last year

A labor group clarified that the one-year moratorium on wage hike petition has ended October last year.

MANILA, Philippines - Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa) on Tuesday clarified that the one-year moratorium on wage hike petition ended October last year.

The group made the clarification after Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte last week said that the moratorium will only end on May 2015.

"The one-year moratorium ended on October 2014 not on May 2015. She is misinformed about wage increase petition and it’s unprofessional to be presidential spokesperson when you don’t know the basic and gut issues of the country. ..it’s revolting that public servants at her level keeps gives the public wrong information. She better correct this," TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said.

The labor group filed its P136 wage hike petition last January 29 this year.

When asked to comment on the wage hike petition, Valte said labor groups would have to wait for a one-year prescriptive period before they can file another wage petition because the last increase was given on May 2014.

Last week, the Regional Wages and Productivity Board convened and conducted a first of three public consultation on the petition filed by TUCP for a P136 hike on the minimum wage.

The current minimum wage in Metro Manila is P466 but due to the spate of increase in basic social services and commodities, its real value is at P356.64, the TUCP said. - By Dennis Carcamo (philstar.com)

Decision on Metro Manila minimum wage out early-April

THE STATE BODY that sets the daily minimum wage in the country’s capital is expected to decide by the first week of next month if an increase from the current P429-466 is warranted.

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board of the National Capital Region (RTWPB-NCR) held a public hearing on Friday -- the last of four consultations since January -- for all parties with interest in two petitions to raise the daily floor wage.

The Labor department’s National Wages and Productivity Commission requires regional boards to come up with a wage order within 30 days from the last public hearing.

Alberto R. Quimpo, RTWPB-NCR board member representing employers, said the first board meeting to discuss results of public consultations has been set tentatively on March 16.

RTWPB-NCR has received two petitions since November last year which will be used among bases for the seven-member body to come up with a decision, board chairman Alex V. Avila said in an interview at the sidelines of the public hearing in Pasay City. “[T]he board will deliberate on the petitions. We will consider all the position papers, the petitions, and the outputs of these three consultations and the public hearing,” Mr. Avila said.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP) faction has asked for a P136 across-the-board wage hike, while another group, the Association of Minimum Wage Earners and Advocates (AMWEA), sought a P734 increase to be implemented in five equal tranches.

Both groups cited increasing utility rates and fare hikes for Metro Manila’s railway systems that took effect Jan. 4.

During the public hearing on Friday, TUCP Spokesman Alan A. Tanjusay added that the looming increase in tuition fees would be an added burden to workers. “The real value of P466 is P356.64… because of inflation,” Mr. Tanjusay said. “We need the P136 to restore the purchasing power of workers in NCR.”

AMWEA representative Margarita A. Greofaldio told the board in Filipino: “The board should provide a realistic wage… We all know the current minimum wage is not enough to live decently, much less for a family.”

She also asked the wage board to show computations leading to its decision “so it will not appear that what they approved was arbitrary.”

Speaking on behalf of employers, Mr. Quimpo opposed both petitions, saying in an interview: “It cannot be... it’s impossible”, even as he clarified that the Employers Confederation of the Philippines has yet to make a formal stand.

Ma. Elena G. Francisco, legal counsel of the Philippine Constructors’ Association, warned of capital flight and massive retrenchment should labor costs shoot up.

“We should instead look at how to increase employment opportunities for majority of workers (not just minimum wage earners),” Ms. Francisco said in Filipino.

“Not all employers are profitable enough to pay higher salaries. There are also small- and medium-scale enterprises that could close up shop if labor cost rises too much,” she explained.

“Others can afford to pull out their businesses, so we will see capital flight. If these investors, who employ many, flee to other economies where labor is more friendly, what will happen to us? Our economy will suffer,” she continued.

“So, let us weigh all considerations.”

Metro Manila’s minimum wage was last adjusted in September 2013, involving a P10 hike in basic pay after two TUCP factions filed for increases of P83 and P85. Other regions followed suit in adjusting floor wages. - By Melissa Luz T. Lopez BusinessWorld

No wage hike in MM till end of moratorium

Malacañang said yesterday that labor groups will have to wait for the one-year moratorium to end before any possible wage increase in Metro Manila.

This was underscored by Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte as the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) filed a petition for a P136 wage increase for workers in the National Capital Region (NCR).

“Metro Manila is covered by NCR (National Capital Region) and because it’s only March, the last increase was given sometime in May. Necessarily, any figure that they propose would have to be scrutinized by Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board,” Valte said.

“Normally, mga late May yung naalala ko nung huli so you would have to wait for the RTWPBs to convene,” she added.

The first public hearing on the wage petition filed by TUCP was held yesterday.

The TUCP is asking for an additional P136 to the current minimum wage in the metropolis on top of the current P466 minimum wage. - by Madel Sabater - Namit , Manila Bulletin

Higher Metro Manila floor wage sought

METRO MANILA has started the ball rolling for minimum wage hikes across the country, as two labor groups yesterday filed petitions on behalf of private sector workers in the capital in the face of rising utility tariffs and train fare.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP)-Nagkaisa faction yesterday filed its petition for a P136 increment to the P429 and P466 daily minimum wage levels in Metro Manila during a public consultation of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Pasay City.

“The P136 across-the-board and regionwide daily increase is essential if workers are to cope with the increasing prices of commodities and cost of living, if they are to meet the basic needs of their families,” TUCP said in a three-page position paper.

“The P466 minimum wage is no longer enough,” Alan A. Tanjusay, the group’s spokesman, added in an interview.

He cited the higher fare starting this month for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) systems that has taken a big bite out of workers’ take-home pay, higher utility tariffs, as well as steady prices of basic goods despite drops in transport fuel prices. “The significant increase in LRT/MRT fares is one factor,” Mr. Tanjusay said in Filipino, adding that “higher electricity and water rates are also factors.”

“We are also wondering why gasoline price reductions are not reflected immediately in the prices of basic commodities.”

Another labor group, the Association of Minimum Wage Earners and Advocates (AMWEA) is seeking a total of P734 in minimum wage increase, to be implemented in annual tranches of P146.80 for the next five years.

AMWEA described the current floor pay as “slave wage,” saying it is below the P1,200 needed each day to support a family of five.

The last wage order in the National Capital Region (NCR), signed on Sept. 6, 2013, provided a P10 increase in basic pay and a P30 hike in cost of living allowance and was implemented in two tranches: in October 2013 and in January last year.

The proposed hike for Metro Manila’s minimum wage earners is expected to set the bar for the rest of the country, one labor expert said. “Usually, NCR always takes the lead and the other regions follow in demanding wage increase,” Rene E. Ofreneo, director of the Center for Labor Justice at the University of the Philippines School of Labor and Industrial Relations, said in a telephone interview.

Last year’s wage adjustment in Metro Manila came as a result of P83 and P85 proposals submitted by two TUCP factions in 2013.

One of the two employer representatives in the wage board said a balance must be struck between workers’ demand and businesses’ capacity to pay. “We understand that (petitions), but we also have to take into account the ability of establishments, especially micro and small establishments...,” Vicente Leogardo, Jr., director general of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, said in an interview.

More consultations -- this time with employers and representatives of other affected groups -- will be held next month, a public hearing in March and a decision will be rendered some time “within the year,” Alex V. Avila, who heads the NCR wage board, said in an interview. -- Melissa Luz T. Lopez / BusinessWorld

Much ado about salary hike, holiday pay and bonus tax

The country’s largest labor group is now demanding a P136 pay hike for minimum wage earners in Metro Manila to help them cope with the rising prices of basic services and commodities.

The Trade Union Congress of Philippines (TUCP) finally submitted the wage petition yesterday before the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Boards-National Capital Region (RTWPB-NCR) during its scheduled stakeholder consultation.

It said the P136 “living wage” aims to restore the loss purchasing power of minimum wage earners, which have been “eroded” by several economic factors in NCR.

“The real value of the current P466 minimum wage is P299 only,” TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said.

“It cannot sustain the needs of a family. As a result, many employed workers fall through the cracks and join the growing ranks of the working poor,” he added.

The proposed living wage comes from TUCP’s computation on the wage impact of the increase of the consumer price index, expected increase in the charges of basic utilities this year and, government -mandated deductions.

It also includes the “equity supplement” or the supposed just share of workers in the country’s economic growth for last 25 years.

TUCP said it is confident companies will be able to afford the wage hike, especially after the country has repeatedly reported significant economic growth since 2010.

“Workers cannot be denied of an increase now… We only ask for what is due our workers. What we ask is a modest share from the gains of the booming economy,” TUCP said in its position paper.

It also assured the pay increase will not lead to mass retrenchment as claimed by some employers since labor cost only account to 15 percent of their operation costs.

“We reject any attempt linking employment growth to minimum wage increase,” TUCP said.

“It is the high cost of electricity which makes up about 30 to 45% of the cost of doing business. It is the lack of power supply and the high price of power that drives away investors,” it added.

If approved by the regional wage board, the wage petition will increase the existing minimum wage in NCR from P466 to P602.

BILL LIMITS HOLIDAYS

Good news for the business sector, but bad news for the tourism sector and many Filipinos.

A bill seeking to regulate the proclamation of all holidays in the country and to require all public and private banks to operate even on weekends and official holidays has been filed at the House of Representatives.

Deputy Speaker and Leyte Rep. Sergio Apostol filed House Bill 5334 calling for the regulation of “holiday economics”, lamenting that proclamation of days-long holidays is “damaging to businesses” and affects the nation’s productivity.

“To avoid damage to our economy, this bill proposed that holidays, particularly non-woking holidays, should be properly regulated not allowing holidays to last more than two days,” he said.

HB 5334 tasks the Office of the President to regulate the dates and number of days of all the holidays.

“Holidays in the Philippines are greatly enjoyed by many Filipino people as they get to spend more time with their families and take a break from their respective jobs. Although it is only right to be able to rest in the middle of a chaotic schedule, longer holidays usually result to a ton of pending workload hindering the productivity of various offices in our country,” Apostol said.

Quoting Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, he said small businesses usually suffer during the holidays as most of them are incapable of bearing the costs of a higher-wage bill during holidays. “While daily paid workers don’t earn on these days, consequently affecting the progress and competitiveness of our economy,” he said.

An opposition lawmaker is cautioning President Aquino against further putting to test the peoples’ tolerance of government-imposed economic difficulties by vetoing the popular bill raising the tax exemption camp for the 13th month pay and other bonuses.

ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio issued the warning as he called on Aquino not to heed the recommendation of the Department of Finance (DOF) to reject the bill that was passed by Congress as an urgent measure.

Tinio is among the principal authors of the bill that was sent to Malacañang on January 14.

Tinio warned that Aquino will be facing the people’s extreme anger against his administration if the measure is rejected.

The bill has reportedly been sent by Aquino to the legal department of Malacañang “for further study.”

Tinio said the DOF has aired its opposition to the measure and has been repeatedly asking Aquino to reject it.

The DOF wants to reduce the tax exemption ceiling to P55,000 through an administrative order. Congress has proposed to set the exemption ceiling to P82,000.

“All working people want some relief from unconscionably high personal income taxes. They are eagerly awaiting enactment of this bill into law as soon as possible. A Presidential veto will deny the majority of Filipinos, who are mostly low- and middle-income earners, the higher take-home pay that they so justly deserve and need,” stated Tinio.

He said Aquino’s veto of the measure will confirm accusations that he was lying through his teeth when he declared in his first state of the nation that the Filipino people are his bosses. - by Samuel Medenilla (With reports from Charissa M. Luci and Ben R. Rosario) Manila Bulletin

TUCP seeks P136 hike in Metro Manila daily minimum wage

MANILA - The Trade union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) on Thursday filed a petition asking the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board–National Capital Region (RTWPB-NCR) to increase the P466 daily minimum wage of workers in Metro Manila by P136.

TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said the real value of the peso has eroded by an estimated 35 percent due to a variety of inflationary factors, including the consumer price index, tuition, the recent MRT/LRT fare hike, and the impending water and electricity rate increases.

"The real value of the current P466 minimum wage is P299 only. It cannot sustain the needs of a family. As a result, many employed workers fall through the cracks and join the growing ranks of the working poor," he said.

"Thus, we are asking the board to make possible a 'living' minimum wage. We particularly appeal to employers to grant our petition," Tanjusay added.

The RTWPB-NCR held a wage consultation Thursday as part of the process of determining the salary rates in Metro Manila.

During discussion, TUCP presented a position paper demanding the wage hike.

"Minimum wage earners are now dubbed the 'working poor.' It has been 25 years after the last legislated wage hike through the Wage Rationalization Act of 1989, it is high time that minimum wage earners recover some of the lost value of the Peso and strengthen their eroded purchasing power," it stated.

TUCP said that workers their families have long been suffering from the spiraling cost of basic commodities and services, including food, transportation, electricity and water.

"We do not even count on our need for clothing, shelter, education and healthcare, which seem to have become a luxury for the poor and a privilege for the few. A decent life is a human right that should be enjoyed by all," it said.

"It should also be noted that this is the right time to grant the wage increase when the economy is good as government data shows," TUCP articulated.

Since 2010, growth in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) averaged about 6.3 percent. The inflation rate on the other hand averaged at 4.1 percent in 2014.

Between December 2013 and December 2014, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose from 136.8 to 140.5 or the equivalent of 2.7%.

TUCP cautioned that, due to the continuing increases in the cost of electricity, water, transportation, among others, consumer prices between January and December 2015 are expected to rise further by another 10 percent.

"Workers cannot be denied an increase now. The fruits of our booming economy should not only be enjoyed by a few rich families. We do not ask for lavish increase. We only ask for what is due our workers. What we ask is a modest share from the gains of the booming economy," the group said.

"The P136 across-the-board and region-wide daily increase is essential if workers are to cope with the increasing prices of commodities and cost of living, if they are to meet the basic needs of their families – even if only partially – and if the country is to give meaning and substance to the policy of equitable distribution of income and wealth," TUCP added. - InterAksyon.com

RTWPB Central Visayas lumps P13 Cola, wage

THE Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) 7 approved the integration of the P13 cost of living allowance (Cola) in the minimum wage.

Businessman Philip Tan, a member of the RTWPB, said in a text message to Sun.Star Cebu that the integration of the Cola is in the final stage and awaits the signature of Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.

The minimum daily wage in Central Visayas for the non-agriculture sector ranges from P295 to P340 as specified in a March 21, 2014 wage order. Those who work in the agricultural sector should have a minimum wage of P275 to P322 a day.

Art Barrit, spokesman of the Association of Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), said the minimum daily wage of P340 is not enough to feed a family of five as the worker still has to pay mandatory premiums for Pag-IBIG, Philhealth and Social Security System.

Barrit said that because of the mandatory deductions, the average take-home pay of a worker ranges from P269 to P279 per day.

He pointed out that a family of five consumes about three kilos of rice at P40 per kilo. A minimum wage earner can hardly pay for the household's utility bills and the tuition of his children, he said.

"ALU-TUCP is planning to file another wage increase petition before May 1, 2015," Barrit said.

Cebu City Councilor Gerardo Carillo said labor and management sectors should not only focus on salary but also on the quality of labor.

Carillo said that if a company has high productivity and more profits, it would be able pay higher wages. - By Elias O. Baquero / SunStar

Wage board optimistic on P89 wage hike appeal in Northern Mindanao

AFTER completing three provincial wage consultations last month, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Northern Mindanao (RTWPB) is hopeful for the immediate deliberation of the P89 wage increase petition filed by the Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) on July 16, 2014.

Lawyer Gretchen Lamayon, RTWPB-10 information officer, said the wage board has been doing its best to cap off remaining consultations in Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental by the end of September.

Lamayon, however, admitted to Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro that various reactions from the workers and employers sectors are obstacles needed to be overcome to come up with a fast resolution.

"So far, from the three provinces, some agreed with the increase. There were some who said it has to be reduced. And, of course, there were those who said P89 is too much," she said Tuesday.

Wage consultations have already been conducted in the provinces of Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, and Bukidnon in August 2014.

Lamayon said the executive board of the RTWPB-10 needs more time to deliberate to produce an outcome that is favorable to all concerned sectors.

The wage board also has several considerations in deliberating the petition, which include the social economic conditions of the employers, she noted.

The labor union is optimistic the RTWPB will support the daily minimum wage increase petition even if results of the first round of deliberation have not been disclosed to the public yet.

If approved, the daily minimum wage in the region will become P395 for agricultural and non-agricultural workers.

The board discussions will be attended by the heads of the region's Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), two representatives from the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), and two representatives from the private sector.

In a petition passed to RTWPB-10, the ALU-TUCP justified the requested increase as beneficial to the working population amid the increasing cost of standard of living.

"The P89 daily increase is essential if workers are to cope with the increasing prices of commodities and cost of living, if they are to meet the basic needs of their families, even if only partial, and if the country gives meaning and substance to the policy of equitable distribution of income and wealth. The increase, small as it is, has been overtaken by increases in power and water rates, in health and education costs, the prices of oil and its products, LPG, and basic goods and services," the petition read.

"Prices of goods and services in the following months are also expected to rise by at least 5 percent which would require an additional P21.42 adjustment in wages considering the increasing prices of goods and services especially power rates because of the current power shortage in Mindanao. Also, the daily take home pay of wage earners is lower due to legally mandated deductions such as SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-Ibig contributions and income tax," it added.

Wildon Barros, Kilusang Mayo Uno-northern Mindanao chairperson, told this paper that although they are pushing for the P125 minimum wage across the board since last year, they would also support ALU-TUCP's endeavor.

"We still want the RTWPB to say yes to this because it is for the benefit of our workers at the end of the day," Barros said by phone.

On May 15, 2013, the RTWPB-10 approved the latest P306 wage increase per day from P286 for the wage earners in northern Mindanao. - By Mario C. Manlupig Jr. SunStar

P89 wage hike in Northern Mindanao pushed

THE Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Northern Mindanao (RTWPB-10) has completed the first round of deliberations on the actual rate of minimum wage increase for workers in the region.

Although initial results of the review were not disclosed yet, labor groups are hopeful the wage board will support the daily minimum wage increase petition.

The Associated Labor Union-Trade Union of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) in the region formally sought an P89 daily wage increase on July 16, 2014.

If approved, the daily minimum wage in the region will become P395 for agricultural and non-agricultural workers.

Lawyer Gretchen Lamayon, RTWPB-10 chief information officer, told Sun*Star Cagayan de Oro Wednesday the final results of the petition will be revealed "sooner" and subjected to discussion from among different sectors.

The discussion will be held with the presence of the heads of the region's Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), two representatives from the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), and two representatives from the private sector.

In a petition passed to the RTWPB-10, the ALU-TUCP justified the requested increase as beneficial to the working population amid the increasing cost of standard of living.

"The P89 daily increase is essential if workers are to cope with the increasing prices of commodities and cost of living, if they are to meet the basic needs of their families, even if only partial, and if the country gives meaning and substance to the policy of equitable distribution of income and wealth. The increase, small as it is, has been overtaken by increases in power and water rates, in health and education costs, the prices of oil and its products, LPG, and basic goods and services," the petition read.

"Prices of goods and services in the following months are also expected to rise by at least 5 percent which would require an additional P21.42 adjustment in wages considering the increasing prices of goods and services especially power rates because of the current power shortage in Mindanao. Also, the daily take home pay of wage earners are lower due to legally mandated deductions such as SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-Ibig contributions and income tax," it added.

Wildon Barros, Kilusang Mayo Uno-Northern Mindanao chairperson, told this paper that although they are pushing for the P125 minimum wage across the board since last year, they will also support ALU-TUCP's endeavor.

"We still want the RTWPB to say yes to this because it is for the benefit of our workers at the end of the day," Barros said by phone.

May 15 last year, the RTWPB-10 approved the latest P306 wage increase per day from P286 for the wage earners in northern Mindanao. - Sun Star