Wage increase in Caraga region

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines – Good news!

After series of public consultations and hearings, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Caraga region has finally approved a P15 wage increase, this was disclosed Tuesday.

The RTWPB approved the issuance of Wage Order No. 11 which provides P15.00 increase, 11.00 to basic wage and 4.00 to Cost of Living Allowance (COLA).

This new wage increase was finalized after the RTWPB board conducted a series of public consultations/hearings in the provinces and cities of Caraga region in the month of September 2011.

The series of consultations started last Sept. 23 in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur; Sept. 16 in Surigao City; and Sept. 22 in Agusan del Norte.

For Agriculture, the daily minimum wage rate for the Plantation is Php 248.00 (231.00 basic wage; 17.00 COLA); Non-plantation is Php 228.00 (211.00 basic wage; 17.00 COLA).

For Non-Agriculture, daily minimum wage rate is Php 258.00 (241.00 basic wage; 17.00 COLA) while for the Retail and Service employing 10 or less is Php 228.00 (211.00 basic wage; 17.00 COLA), and Php 258.00 (241.00 basic wage; 17.00 COLA) for those employing more than 10 workers.

Meanwhile, RTWPB chair Ofelia Domingo also said that in line with the ‘Clean Ground, Zero Waste’ of the city government of Butuan, RTWPB is currently providing 5S (Sort, Systematize, Sweep, Sanitize, Self-Discipline) for Good Housekeeping Seminar to different offices/departments of Butuan City Hall as part of the Productivity Month celebration. The seminar started on October 3 and will end on November 9, 2011.

It was also learned that as its partial accomplishment, eight offices/departments were already given the 5S Training with 391 total numbers of beneficiaries/trained LGU-Butuan employees, and 12 pending offices/departments.

In another development, some 25 young trade union leaders and advocates from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will converge in Cagayan de Oro City beginning Wednesday for a two-day seminar on Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The workshop, entitled “Introduction to Collective Bargaining for Young Trade Union Leaders,” will be held at Pearlmont Inn, Cagayan de Oro City with the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), and Workers Development Foundation Inc. (WDFI) spearheading.

Former Senator and TUCP Gen. Secretary Ernesto Herrera said the training aims to provide young trade union officers and members with appropriate guidance, information and skills to help them bargain effectively.

“The activity also aims to develop a pool of trained and oriented young CBA negotiators and further improve the TUCP’s CBA program for the young people,” Herrera added. –MIKE U. CRISMUNDO, Manila Bulletin