MANILA, Philippines—The regional wage board in Western Visayas Thursday joined that of Metro Manila’s in declaring that a “supervening condition” existed in the area which merited increases in wages or nonwage benefits of workers, a ranking labor official said Thursday.
Ciriaco Lagunzad III, executive director of the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC), said that the wage board in Region VI declared that recent oil price hikes constituted a “supervening event.”
But the wage board of Region VII or Central Visayas ruled that no such condition existed in the area.
Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs) are by law not allowed to raise salaries for one year after the last increases unless they declare that there is a supervening event in their area within that period.
“So besides the National Capital Region, Region VI has also declared a supervening event while Region VII and Region X (Northern Mindanao) earlier said there was no supervening condition,” Lagunzad said in an interview.
Lagunzad said that the nondeclaration of a supervening event did not bar labor groups from filing petitions for wage increases because wage boards could still change their mind.
Lagunzad said that other regional wage boards were still discussing whether to declare a “supervening event” or not.
The moderate labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines said it would petition wage boards in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao for wage increases.
“We remind the wage board that a new salary increase should also attempt to raise workers’ standard of living and not to merely address their reduced purchasing power,” said TUCP spokesperson Rafael Mapalo.
“The need for wage increase is urgent. There is no room for delay,” he added.
However, the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (Ecop) called on organized labor to go slow on clamoring for wage hike because fuel prices remained volatile in the world market.
Under such a situation, a wage adjustment would trigger spiraling production costs and prices of commodities, said Ecop president Edgardo Lacson. –Philip Tubeza, Philippine Daily Inquirer
World Day for Safety and Health at Work
“Safety and health at work every day!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations against serious violations of Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.
Accept National Unity Government
(NUG) of Myanmar.
Reject Military!
#WearMask #WashHands #Distancing #TakePicturesVideos
Monthly Observances:
March – Women’s Role in History Month
April – Month of Planet Earth
Weekly Observances:
Last Week of March: Protection and Gender Fair Treatment of the Girl Child Week
Last Week of April – World Immunization Week
Daily Observances:
Mar 25 – International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transallantic Slave Trade
Mar 27– Earth Hour
Apr 21 – Civil Service Day
Apr 22 – World Earth Day
Apr 28 – World Day for Safety and Health at Work
