The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) on Monday said it plans to question before the Court of Appeals the denial by the regional wage board to grant a P75 across-the-board wage increase for workers in the National Capital Region.
The National Capital Region (NCR) Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) had earlier granted a P22 wage increase for workers instead of the P75 sought by the unions.
“We filed for a motion for appeal (with the RTWPB) reiterating the R75 wage petition. The motion appeal was denied so the TUCP is contemplating filing an appeal at the Court of Appeals,” TUCP Spokesman Rafael Mapalo said, during a courtesy call on Monday, at the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) office in Intramuros, Manila.
The TUCP plans to file the petition with the Court of Appeals after obtaining the official evaluation for the denial of the wage petition, Mapalo said.
“We are still waiting for the official decision from the National Capital Region (NCR) Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB),” he said.
“We have not done this in the past. But it is our obligation as trade union to file an appeal at the Court of Appeals,” he said.
TUCP said it would question the P22 minimal wage increase and the inclusion of the establishments with assets fewer than P3 million in companies which could file for exemption in its petition with the Court of Appeals.
The NCR-RTWPB abused its discretion when it implemented Wage Order 15, which increased the minimum wage by P22 in the NCR, TUCP said in a statement.
The TUCP said the RTWPB “grossly disregarded the very spirit and intent of RA 6727 which expressly mandates that, in fixing minimum wages, the Board shall ensure decent standard of living necessary for the health, efficiency and general well-being of employees.”
Mapalo said the P22 wage increase was only enough to sustain the living standards of workers in 2008 and is not viable for 2009 and 2010.
The TUCP based its current wage petition on the consumer price index (CPI) or the change in the prices of a specific goods and services in an area for a period each year. The labor group’s current P75 wage increase petition in NCR is based on the CPI from 2008 to 2010 in the region. –SAMUEL P. MEDENILLA, Manila Bulletin
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