Wednesday, May 14, 2008 Wage board sets hearing on wage hike petitions
THE Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Western Mindanao is set to conduct a five-day hearing on the wage hike petition filed by the labor union in the region.
Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) Regional Director Carlos Boteros, who sits as the RTWPB chairman, said the hearing will start on May 26 and ends on May 30.
The hearing schedules are: May 26 in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay; May 27 in Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte; May 28 in Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur; May 29 in Zamboanga City; and May 30 in Isabela, Basilan.
The Philippine Integrated of Industries Labor Union (PIILU) has filed a petition before the RTWPB last May 2 seeking a wage hike of P100 daily across the board.
Also included in the PIILU petition is for the integration of the P10 Cost of Living Allowance (Cola) into the basic salary that was approved last January.
PIILU President Jose Suan said there is a need for an increase in the salaries of the laborers so they may be able to cope with the cost of living brought about by the increase in the prices of prime commodities.
PIILU is an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP).
Boteros said both the employers and the labor group would be given the opportunity to ventilate their concerns during the scheduled hearings.
He added that the target date to finalize the decision on the PIILU's petition will be on the first week of June. (Bong Garcia)
