CEBU CITY—Business groups here rejected calls to increase the salaries of private workers in Central Visayas.
At least 10 business groups expressed their opposition when the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-Central Visayas (RTWPB-7) on Tuesday held a public consultation on the wage hike petitions filed by two labor groups.
“We believe that job restoration and job creation will lead to more employment. Instead of only one working member of the family, this will mean several members of the family have the opportunity to work,” the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) said in a statement.
Also present in the public consultation were representatives of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), Confederation of Philippine Exporters in Cebu, Mactan Economic Processing Zone Chamber of Exporters and Manufacturers, Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation Inc., Shipyard Association of Cebu, and the Cebu I.T. and BPM Organization.
The business groups contested that they are still recovering from the ill-effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, typhoon Odette and the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.
“It is best to allow the sector to reopen, heal, gain stability, create jobs, and sustain momentum first before any wage adjustments. By doing this, we are putting the economy to the path of recovery,” the MCCI said.
The groups at the same time appealed to the government to look for alternative solutions to help workers cope with the rising prices of basic commodities.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has filed a petition seeking to increase the current P404 minimum wage to P834.
The Alyansa sa Mga Mamumuong Kontraktwal sa Sugbo or Alsa Kontraktwal-Cebu has also filed a separate petition where it asked to increase the daily minimum wage in Region 7 to P750.