TUCP’s wage plea said to be no longer enough

REPRESENTATIVES of labor groups that form part of Metro Manila’s Regional Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (RTIPC) yesterday said that the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines’ (TUCP) P75 across-the-board wage petition is no longer enough in the face of increasing oil and commodity prices.

The RTIPC labor representatives told a public hearing that they believe a P100 across-the-board wage hike for Metro Manila would be more realistic to cover workers’ daily expenses.

“We support the petition of TUCP; although, as a matter of fact, it’s no longer appropriate at this time due to the problem of higher oil prices [among others]…The petition should be a P100 wage hike across the board,” Romeo M. Pantay, president of The Medical City Employees Association, said during the hearing. “But I think what’s important is we make that wage hike happen, instead of none at all,” Mr. Pantay said.

National Alliance of Broadcast Unions President Hilario J. Simacon concurred, recalling that his group asked for an additional P100 on workers’ daily basic pay during wage hearings in 2008.

Also present in yesterday’s hearing was Delos Santos Medical Center Employees Association Secretary Belinda S. Lota, who supported the move to increase the petition to P100.

Alliance of Filipino Workers president Angelito P. Calderon said his group would file a formal proposal on Thursday for a wage hike higher than P75. “On our side, we weren’t able to make the formal proposal whether how much should be the amount, but hopefully we get to present that on Thursday,” Mr. Calderon said.

But RTIPC management representative Judith S. Betita, assistant vice-president of The Medical City, said “non-cash benefits” would be more manageable than a wage hike. “During the first quarter of the year, the company has incurred losses. The reduction in our income amounted to millions compared last year, so maintaining the current work force is already a strain to the administration,” Ms. Betita said. “We already have high manpower cost and any increase would affect the capability of the hospital. Management plans to suspend any promotion, but is definitely not looking at reducing the work force.” — M. A. C. B. Cabarles, Businessworld