An April 19, 2011 press release by the Department of Labor and Employment
Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday said that the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in the National Capital Region will hold a public hearing on the petition for a wage increase for minimum wage earners in the Metro Manila on May 2, 2011.
In a press briefing for the Labor Day celebration, Baldoz encouraged labor, employers, and other concerned sectors in the NCR to attend the public hearing and present their positions on the wage increase.
She added that the RTWPB-NCR has already published the notice of public hearing in a newspaper of general circulation.
She explained that based on the rules of minimum wage fixing, the publication or posting of the notice of public hearing shall be made at least 15 days before the initial public hearing. After the hearing, the NCR Regional Board will deliberate on how much and in what form would the wage increase be, if any.
Prior to this, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) had filed a petition for a P75 increase in the daily wage of minimum-wage earners in the private sector in the NCR.
“The public hearing aims to gather inputs from labor, management, and other interested parties on pertinent issues relevant to the wage petition,” Baldoz said, adding that concerned parties may present their positions with the wage board on or before the scheduled date of hearing.
The declaration of the existence of a supervening condition by the RWPB-NCR was affirmed by the National Wages and Productivity Commission on April 13.
“Prior to the issuance of a wage order, public hearing shall be conducted giving notices to labor and employers groups, provincial, city and municipal officials, and other interested parties,” said Baldoz.
The Regional Wage Boards, which are composed of the representatives from labor, employer, and government sectors, and the NWPC last week conducted a government sectoral consultation on wages. The Regional Wage Boards were asked and consulted by the different government agencies, including the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Energy (DOE) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), on the socioeconomic condition in the country’s various regions.
“We are giving the Regional Boards enough elbow room to decide on whether or not to declare the existence of a supervening condition in their regions. And if their decision is to increase the minimum wage, in what amount and form,” said Baldoz.
The Regional Wage Boards in the NCR and Region 6 have already declared the existence of supervening conditions after thorough evaluation showed ripple effects of price increases in prime commodities, including fuel and oil, paving the way for wage increase petitions.
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