Thursday, December 12, 2013
BY CARLA GOMEZ
An emergency meeting of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board is set Monday on the call of businessmen in the Western Visayas for a moratorium on the P10 wage increase following extensive losses from super typhoon “Yolanda”.
Labor Regional Director Ponciano Ligutom said the RTWPB will look into the request of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Western Visayas to come up with a fair response to all concerned.
Wennie Sancho, labor representative on the wage board, said labor understands the request especially for those businesses badly hit by Yolanda.
However, Sancho said he believes the moratorium, if ever implemented, should only be in areas really badly hit.
It would not be fair to implement it in areas in Western Visayas barely affected by the typhoon, he said, noting that some businesses have already began implementing the wage hike.
A P10-wage increase was implemented in the region starting Nov. 29.
In a Dec. 6 letter to Ligutom, the PCCI Western Visayas said a moratorium on wage increases should be in place “until such time that small and medium enterprises have fully recovered from this catastrophic event.
“This call for a moratorium on all wage increases is aimed at bringing about political stability, economic recovery and improved local governance to the hard-hit provinces of Iloilo, Capiz, Antique, Aklan, Negros Occidental and Guimaras,” the letter said.
The letter was signed by Roberto Montelibano, PCCI Western Visayas governor;
Frank Carbon, president of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry;
and Joe Marie Agriam, head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Iloilo
Inc.*CPG
