Wage hike petition to be filed anytime this week

CEBU, Philippines – The Alliance of Progressive Labor plans to file a petition for a wage increase anytime this month after they deferred their plans to file for a similar petition last January due to the global economic crisis.

APL chairman Jose Tomongha said yesterday that next week, members of the Cebu Labor Coalition will discuss as to how much they will ask.

APL spokesman Metudio Belarmino Jr. said that there is no doubt that there is a need to increase the worker’s wages amidst the rising cost of basic commodities and with the impending increase in jeepney’s minimum fare.

The APL leadership decided earlier to defer their plans to file any wage hike petition as it is untimely due to the world economic crisis that resulted to massive retrenchment of workers.

CLC is composed of different labor organization and federation including the Associated Labor Unions, the Federation of Free Workers and other independent labor unions, urban poor and the transport sector.

Earlier, Tomongha said that they were disappointed when the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board dismissed their P127 across the board wage hike petition filed last October.

In May of last year, minimum wage earners in Central Visayas were granted an increase of P17 on top of their P250 daily pay, bringing their total take home pay to P267.

However workers who are receiving above minimum wage got nothing as such wage increase are not across the board. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/BRP (FREEMAN NEWS)