W. Visayas wage board to tackle bid for pandemic relief pay

BACOLOD City – The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Western Visayas (RTWPB-6) will start the discussion of the issue on wage determination during its regular meeting on May 12.

Negros-based labor sector representative Wennie Sancho said in a statement on Thursday that the action is supported by a resolution unanimously approved by the board itself during its regular meeting held on April 23.

This came after National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) Executive Director Maria Criselda Sy clarified in a reply letter that under the Omnibus Rules on Minimum Wage Determination, the commencement of the minimum wage determination process may be done motu proprio by the RTWPB or by petition of any party.

During the board’s April 8 meeting, management sector representatives Luis Estrella and Reynaldo Ambao manifested their disapproval of the manifestation of the labor sector for a PHP20 to PHP25 per day Pandemic Emergency Relief Allowance (PERA) as an immediate economic relief amid the pandemic.

Sancho and fellow labor representative Hernani Braza submitted the manifestation on Oct. 19, 2020, after which the issue was referred to the NWPC for clarification as to whether the manifestation is valid for the board to take appropriate action.

Earlier, the labor sector said that it would push for a minimum wage increase of PHP100 per day if the RTWPB-6 would not grant its request for relief allowance.

The current minimum wage rate in Western Visayas is from PHP310 to PHP395 per day, depending on the industry classification, based on Wage Order 25, which took effect in November 2019.

Sancho, who also sits as the secretary-general of the General Alliance of Workers Associations, said the NWPC explained that the labor sector manifestation and submitted position paper could not be likened to a petition.

This is because the labor representatives were merely seeking the board’s discussion on the propriety of granting PERA, considering the regional socio-economic conditions, he added.

Sancho said the NWPC supported the conclusion in the submitted position paper that “the 10 percent erosion on the value of the purchasing power of the nominal wage can be used as a warning signal to review whether the prevailing minimum wage still serves its purpose in protecting the vulnerable workers from the vagaries of the market.”

The NWPC also advised the RTWPB-6 by way of policy direction that it may convene and review whether the regional socio-economic conditions could support the granting of said proposed PERA, considering the manifestation and position paper of the labor sector representatives.

The board will then decide as a collegial body whether it will commence the wage determination process motu proprio, Sancho said. (PNA)