MANILA – Labor secretary Silvestre Bello III on Sunday said the government needs to see first if employers can afford to give a wage hike to employees before granting it.
“Kailangang alamin din natin kung kaya ba ito ng ating mga employers,” Bello said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.
“Kasi baka naman dadagdagan mo ng sahod pero baka mabawasan naman ng trabaho. Mas mahirap ‘yon,” he said.
Labor group Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) filed a petition in June asking for a P320 wage increase. However, the group said it plans to revise the petition to ask for a higher increase to reflect the 6.2-percent inflation rate in the third quarter of the year.
Bello said granting of minimum wage increases is beyond the powers of the Department of Labor and Employment.
“Fixing of the minimum wage ay ang Kongreso ‘yan, through legislation ‘yan,” he said.
Bello added that the Regional Tripartite Wage Board is the one that recommends wage adjustments.
Regarding the reported P20 wage increase, Bello said there is no truth to the matter.
“Fake news ‘yon!” Bello said.
“Ang sabi ko noon, magkakaroon yan ng public hearing, tapos ‘yung regional wage board na ‘yan will recommend a wage adjustment. Sabi ko hindi ko matiyak [kung magkano ang increase] kasi ang wage board ang magre-recommend. Pero sa tingin ko hindi bababa ng P20,” Bello said.
“Wala pang desisyon. Nagalit sa akin ang labor group dahil ‘yon daw sinabi ko. Hindi naman eh. Hindi ko sinabi na P20 at hindi ko sinabi na meron nang desisyon,” he added.
“Kaya ko nasabi na not less than P20, kasi based on, ito na lang NCR, Region 2 at Region 4 yata ang ‘di pa nagre-recommend o nag-aapprove ng wage adjustment. Sa Region 11, P56 ang naaprubahan – P30 nag-effect ngayon at P26 in February,” he said. (GMA News)
