DOLE assures review of wage hike petitions being expedited

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Monday assured that regional wage boards have expedited their deliberations, with minimum wage hike petitions filed in six regions across the country so far.

According to National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) Executive Director Maria Criselda Sy, regional wage boards already met last week to look into fast-tracking the review and adjustment process.

“We have already convened our DOLE Regional Directors and invited resource persons from critical agencies that can provide the wage boards a perspective on what is happening on social economic environment,” she said in an emailed statement.

“These inputs given from the national level will then be disseminated on their respective regions,” she continued.

There are currently 10 wage hike petitions filed with six regional wage boards involving the National Capital Region, Regions 3, 4A, 6, 7, and 8.

Assistant Secretary Dominique Tutay over the weekend said the department expects to come up with a decision before May, with several petitions already being reviewed.

Labor unions alliance Unity for Wage Increase Now! had staged a rally at the National Capital Region Wage Board office to press for the approval of their petition for a P750 minimum wage.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) appealed for a P470 increase in the National Capital Region's daily minimum wage to make it P1,007.

“We take note of the considerations such as the current crisis between Ukraine and Russia which resulted in oil price hikes. However, we need to follow the process mandated under the law for wage determination and the current health protocols since we are still on Alert Level 1,” Sy said.

Oil firms on Monday announced a rollback in domestic pump prices of petroleum products, but this is not enough to offset the 11 weeks of successive hikes.

Among the considerations for the petitions are demand for living wage, wage adjustment vis-a-vis inflation, cost of living and changes therein, needs of workers and their families, and improvements in standards of living.

The DOLE also considers the fair return on capital investment and capacity to pay of employers, prevailing wage levels, the need to induce industries in the countryside, the effects of employment generation and family income, and equitable distribution of income and wealth.—LDF, GMA News