Workers seek tripartite dialogue on wage hike petition

Workers are seeking an immediate tripartite dialogue to discuss the pending petition for a wage increase.

Labor group Kapatiran ng mga Unyon at Samahang Manggagawa has welcomed the statement by Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma that the government is reviewing the P100 wage hike petition.

Kapatiran, however, asserted that it has not been consulted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) concerning their wage hike demand.

The group called on DOLE to immediately convene a tripartite meeting to discuss the wage increase amid rising inflation.

“As the petitioner for the P100 wage increase in the National Capital Region wage board, Kapatiran expects to be among the groups to be consulted,” Kapatiran president Rey Almendras said.

Almendras added that Laguesma should heed their call for a tripartite meeting, unless the labor chief only wants to hold dialogues with employers.

Laguesma seemed very concerned that the government needs to do a balancing act over the wage hike demand, according to Almendras.

“Why is it that the government is overly worried about the capacity of employers to pay and not the capacity of workers to buy?” Almendras asked.

Last week, Laguesma reported that the various wage boards nationwide are already conducting consultations and reviewing prevailing minimum wage rates.

Kapatiran filed in December last year a formal petition seeking a P100 pay hike to enable workers to recover their eroded purchasing power.

The rising inflation has already cut the P570 minimum wage in Metro Manila by P88, according to the group.

“We call for a new round of wage hikes to recover the lost purchasing power of workers not just in Metro Manila but also in the whole country due to the surge in inflation,” Partido ng Manggagawa chair Rene Magtubo said.

Magtubo noted that the P33 minimum wage hike granted in June last year has been effectively wiped out by the runaway inflation.

“We are not yet even talking of workers claiming a just share in the fruits of their labor. From 2001 to 2016, real wages stagnated, but labor productivity increased by 50 percent and the gross domestic product doubled,” he said.

Kapatiran urged all labor groups to unite in order to win the fight for salary hikes.