DOLE to conduct wage hearings

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Monday stated that the regional wage boards in Central Luzon (Region III), Calabarzon (Region IV-A), and Mimaropa (Region IV-B) would soon conduct public hearings on wage hike petitions filed before these boards. The Labor department’s National Wage and Productivity Commission (NWPC) is now inviting the public to attend the said event.

“We are inviting leaders and representatives of organized labor groups, local firms and employers, concerned non-government agencies, and other interested parties to attend and participate in the hearings to discuss the wage hike petitions in these areas,” the NWPC said.

In April, the wage boards in Regions III and IV-A have received petitions for a P75 across-the-board wage increase, while the wage board in Region IV-B received a petition for a P65 across-the-board wage hike and for a P5 cost of living allowance increase to be integrated into the basic minimum wage.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) filed for the petitions.

The TUCP said that workers in the affected regions need to cope with the rising cost of living and to recoup their purchasing power that has been eroded by the spiraling cost of oil and prices of basic commodities.

In the Calabarzon region, Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board chairman, Labor department Regional Director Ricardo Martinez Sr., announced the venues and dates of the public hearings as follows: Quezon, (October 08); Batangas (October 22); Cavite (November 05); and Laguna (November 12 and 23).

“After the hearings, the wage board is required within 45 days to render a decision regarding the petitions,” Martinez said, adding that the hearings will focus on the review of the region’s current economic and wage situations.

Region IV-B has yet to finalize the dates and venues of its hearings while Region III has already conducted a hearing last week. –JOMAR CANLAS, Manila Times