BY EUGENE Y. ADIONG
BACOLOD City – On June 16, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Western Visayas will deliberate on the petition seeking exemption from the P10 wage increase.
RTWPB unanimously approved Wage Order No. RBVI-21 on November 29, 2013 that set the following daily minimum wage:
- P287 for non-agricultural, industrial and commercial establishments employing more than 10 workers
- P245 for those employing 10 workers and below
- P255 for plantation workers, and
- P245 for non-plantation workers.
But the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Western Visayas filed a petition against the wage increase and sought a six-month moratorium, saying many businessmen are still recovering from the destruction caused by super typhoon “Yolanda.”
In February, the RTWPB allowed businessmen affected by the typhoon to file for a six-month exemption from the wage hike.
Department of Labor and Employment’s Regional Director Ponciano Ligutom said businessmen who incurred losses during the typhoon last year can still apply for exemption and submit certifications from the Office of the Civil Defense declaring the area where their business is located as among those placed under a state of calamity during the typhoon.
He said businessmen should also include pictures of the damage to their business establishments as proof and indicate how much damage they incurred.
Ligutom, however, clarified that the exemption is exclusive only to those who incurred losses during the typhoon. Those not affected should implement the wage hike.
“If the RTWPB decides to set aside the petition for exemption, the wage order will be retroactive and every employer are mandated to comply,” he stressed.
The president of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) said businessmen in the region have already recovered.
“Those who have earlier petitioned for exemption from the wage hike have already recovered so they can now afford (to implement the wage increase),” stressed Frank Carbon.
However, a labor group here urged the RTWPB to uphold workers’ rights instead of the interests of businessmen.
Allan Gozon, president of the Democratic Alliance of Labor Organizations, said, employers should implement the wage order 15 days after it is approved as required by law.
Only a sugar planter from the town of Manapla, Negros Occidental have submitted the correct documents proving that he should be exempted from the wage order, RTWPB records showed./PN
