ONLY a few labor groups and other concerned parties have filed wage petitions before the regional wage boards as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to disrupt business operations.
In an online news briefing on Monday, the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) disclosed only four Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPB) currently have pending petitions for a pay hike.
NWPC Executive Director Ma. Criselda R. Sy said these are National Capital Region, Cagayan Valley Region, Calabarzon and Davao Region.
The wage petition in Region 2, for a P100 emergency relief, was filed by the Manggagawa sa Agrikultura on April 15, 2021.
In Davao region, the United Pantaron Banana Workers Union also refiled its previously “unverified” wage petition for P100 pay hike for agriculture and non-agriculture sectors on April 20, 2021.
The RTWPB-NCR earlier said it is still deciding on when it will resume processing the wage petition filed by the Unity for Wage Increase Now (UWIN) in 2019 for a P750 wage hike.
In the case of RTWPB-4A, it opted to postpone conducting the hearings on the petition of the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) for a P50.91 to P70.92 pay hike.
Sy, however, pointed out the RTWPBs could still opt to start reviewing the existing minimum wage rates in their jurisdiction even without getting any petition from any party.
But since the onset of the Covid-related lockdowns on March 2020, no regional wage boards have issued an order to adjust the minimum wage in their respective jurisdictions, as the pandemic led to the closure of thousands of establishments and mass displacement of workers.
Government wage subsidy
Since the onset of the Covid-related lockdowns on March 2020, no regional wage boards have issued an order to adjust the minimum wage in their respective jurisdictions as the pandemic led to the closure of thousands of establishments and mass displacement of workers.
This as stakeholders are worried that pay increase could put additional pressure to employers still reeling from the economic effects of the pandemic. The Action Economic Reform (AER), meanwhile, backed the proposal of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to give a P8,000 wage subsidy for certain companies.
The DTI, which serves as the chair of the task force for the government National Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS), recommended to give the subsidy to a maximum of three months.
“Wage subsidies will provide badly needed relief to 1 million vulnerable households and act as an enabling mechanism for individuals to comply with health protocols and quarantines,” AER said in a news statement.
“This is essential in flattening the curve and in defeating Covid-19 in the long run. Furthermore, it will help businesses, especially micro, small, and medium enterprises which have temporarily shuttered, stay afloat amid the lockdown,”it added.
The Department of Labor and Employment, which serves as the co-chair of DTI in the NERS taskforce, said the subsidy will cost around P24 billion.