Wage hike eyed in Bicol

LEGAZPI CITY --- Wage increase for workers is one of the main topics being discussed in the ongoing wage consultation meetings set by the Department of Labor and Employment through the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) here in Bicol. “The wage consultation is scheduled on a per province basis on separate dates. We urge our fellow Bicolanos to attend this very important event that will directly affect the wages of workers here in the region,” DOLE Bicol regional director and RTWPB chair Atty. Ma. Karina Perida-Trayvilla said. Such consultations had earlier been held at Villa Milla Hotel in Daet, Camarines Norte and at Naga Regent Hotel in Naga City last Tuesday, April 4. The same wage consultation will be held today, April 6, at AVP Catering Services Hall in Legazpi City and in Virac, Catanduanes at ARDCI Corporate Inn on the following day, April 7. Consultation in Masbate City will be held on April 19 at Grand View Hotel while in Sorsogon City, it will be held on April 21 at Casa Dominga Restaurant. The labor and management groups in the respective provinces have been invited to participate in the region-wide consultation. “A public wage consultation is a requisite in determining as to whether or not an increase in the recent minimum wage is needed,” Trayvilla said. During these consultations, issues regarding intervening factors and its effects on wages are discussed and threshed out by both the labor and management sector along with the government as represented by the RTWPB. The RTWPB is composed of two representatives from labor and management, chaired by the Regional Director of the DOLE and co-chaired by the Regional Directors of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA). DOLE Bicol Asst. Regional Director Rovelinda A. De la Rosa said that an intensive information dissemination and advocacy campaign on the ongoing wage consultations has been undertaken by DOLE Bicol to ensure that all issues on wages will come out during the consultation meetings. For good measure, all concerned sectors were encouraged to submit as early as April 3 the sectoral position papers on the wage issue, De la Rosa disclosed. PIA