CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A labor group in Northern Mindanao plans to file another wage increase petition as last year’s was not "sufficient to give the workers a life of dignity" due to inflation.
A WORKERS’ union marches on Don Apolinar Velez St. on Labor Day as part of the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) Northern Mindanao activity on Labor Day. (Photo courtesy of Laurence Geralde of Bombo Radyo Cagayan de Oro)
The Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) Region-10 said on Labor Day that a second wage increase petition is part of its immediate plans and it is now studying the move by gathering data and facts.
They clarified they are thankful for the P40 wage increase last year.
“We are not asking for too much; it’s just for something that is sufficient to give a person sufficient sustenance in terms of their salary," lawyer Doris Javier, ALU-TUCP Northern Mindanao OIC-vice president, said.
Javier said she still has no definite date when the petition will be filed.
The ALU-TUCP Region 10 sought a more than P40 wage hike but the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB)-10 only approved P40.
This brought the current minimum wage in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan and the towns of Tagoloan, Villanueva, and Jasaan in Misamis Oriental province to P405.
The ALU-TUCP 10 calling on the government to address the implementation of the minimum wage after it continues to receive complaints from workers who are still receiving below minimum wage.
"It’s not enough that there’s a law in place if the implementation and enforcement are problematic. Such that there is no adequate penalty given to the violators of the law. Then, employers will continue to violate it," Javier said.
The labor group called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to improve the inspection system for business establishments and suggested bringing back the private sector for transparency.
DOLE-10 OIC Director Estrella Uy-Pahalla said the return of the private sector in joint inspections with the agency is still being studied and needs to be improved.
The agency used to collaborate with the private sector in inspecting business establishments but the program was stopped due to concerns about the implementation and the inconsistencies on the part of the DOLE-accredited inspectors from the private sector.