Friday, April 18, 2008 Oro Chamber on wage hike bid: 'No' By Mark D. Francisco
"IF YOU ask us, we will reply to you in unison - we want status quo."
That's how Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Oro Chamber) president Rodolfo Meñes would put it when pressed to react on the petition of the Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) on a P100 wage hike across the board.
"It's too much," Oro Chamber trustee Jeffrey Ang quipped.
Meñes blamed the high prices of basic commodities as well as the softening of the dollar to 20 percent last year as having drastic effects on small businesses in the city which in turn cannot make them afford to hike the wages of their workers. Eighty percent of the members of Oro Chamber are small enterprises.
"Because of the high prices of even just the basic commodities, our consumers and patrons only buy the basic necessities of daily living. That's why medium-scale businesses in the city which sell items that are not considered as basic such as appliance stores, the real estate sector and luxury stores are starting to feel the brunt of the economic downturn, too," he pointed out.
To hammer down the position of the Oro Chamber on the ticklish wage hike issue, Meñes said the chamber will actively participate on the technical working group (TWG) meeting of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB)-Northern Mindanao on March 23.
Meñes hinted on the possibility of changing their position for a wage increase by then.
"As of now, it's really hard for us to support the clamor of ALU because we will definitely be at a losing end," he said.
