The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) is already processing wage hike petitions for workers in the National Capital Region (NCR), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced on Tuesday, April 5.
In a statement, DOLE-NCR Regional Director Sara Buena Mirasol said the RTWPB has decided to consolidate three wage hike petitions that are appealing for P213 to P250 increase in Metro Manila workers' daily minimum wage to expedite the process of wage hike determination.
"The board received three wage hike petitions, and upon review, we have issued a resolution to consolidate all petitions and proceed to public hearings. We gave all the petitions due course," she said in a statement.
Petitions were filed by the Unity for Wage Increase Now (UWIN) on November 25, 2019, with a proposed P213 wage increase; Metro East Labor Federation (MELF) on March 4 with the same amount of wage hike; and the Solidarity of Unions in the Philippines for Empowerment and Reforms (SUPER) on March 4 with a P213 to P250 proposed wage hike.
"We now have a schedule for consultation with the labor sector on April 8, the second one will be on April 19 for the employers' group, and after that, we will issue a notice of public hearing to invite not only the labor, and employers sectors but also other organizations," Mirasol said.
On the other hand, the labor director said the agency had junked the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) petition for an across-the-board wage adjustment of P470 a day.
"An across the board increase is not within the jurisdiction of the (wage board) nor authorized by Republic Act 6727 (or the Wage Rationalization Act), its mandate being limited only to minimum wage fixing and determination in the Region," Mirasol said, citing the board resolution last March 22.
Meanwhile, TUCP submitted another petition with the same amount but no longer across the board. Mirasol said that the fresh petition from TUCP "may be considered during the board's next meeting."