ALU-TUCP to file wage hike petition in 2 weeks

CEBU, Philippines – The Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines is set to file a wage hike petition in Central Visayas in two weeks but the petition would reportedly be lower than that of the Cebu Labor Coalition.

ALU-TUCP spokesperson Josefina Lim said they would only petition for a P50 to P70 across-the-board increase, lower than the P128.60 across-the-board increase petitioned by CLC.

Lim said the National Statistical Coordinating Board recently concluded that there is a need to increase wages this year to prevent more workers from sliding into poverty. TUCP did not push through its annual wage campaign last April in deference to the worldwide economic crisis.

Now that the signs of economic recovery have surfaced, TUCP said it will make true its commitment to petition for wage increases. Lim said TUCP is currently holding consultations with its members to analyze economic data to come up with a final petition in two weeks.

Meanwhile, the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board is scheduled to meet today to deliberate the wage hike petition filed by the CLC.

Jose Tomongha of the Alliance of Progressive Labor-Visayas, the chairman of CLC, said the board is also set to schedule consultations among concerned sectors relative to the petition.

APL cited 11 grounds for the petition, including insufficient wage increases in the past; reduction of the purchasing power of the peso; unstable oil price; increases in the prices of basic commodities; consumer price index; inflation rate; value of the current minimum wage of P267, which only has a purchasing power of only P16.00; R-VAT; and hike in taxes, globalization effects, transportation fare increase and water and electric increases.

“Wage increase granted for the past years were measly and the demand for a P128.60 adjustment is only meant to bring back the eroded purchasing power of the peso to the levels of 1989,” the CLC petition reads. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/JMO   (FREEMAN NEWS)