W. Visayas workers file P97 wage hike petition

ILOILO CITY, Philippines—Workers in Western Visayas are seeking a P97 increase in the minimum daily wage amid the sharp increase in prices of oil products.

The Negros Occidental-based Trade Union of Filipino Workers filed a wage increase petition on February 1 before the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board seeking the increase from the current P265 per day minimum wage in the region.

Wennie Sancho, one of the labor representatives in the RTWPB, said the labor representatives were supporting the petition.

“Common sense will tell us that the increase is necessary for the workers because the price of oil products has increased four times in March alone,” Sancho told the INQUIRER in a telephone interview on Tuesday.

Sancho said the sharp increase in oil prices which has resulted in an increase in the prices of commodities was more than an “intervening condition” to justify a new wage order.

The RTWPB members met in Iloilo City on Tuesday to deliberate on the petition and decided to hold a public consultation on April 12 to determine if the petition was warranted. The consultation will be attended by employers groups, labor organizations and representatives of various government agencies.

Under the law, only one wage increase order can be issued in a year unless there are “intervening conditions” like a sharp increase in prices of commodities. –Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas