By Cherry Joy Discaya-Garma
PIA-Ilocos Norte
The Regional
Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board has started reviewing current wage
levels in the Ilocos region despite the absence of a petition for wage increase
from the labor sector.
Lawyer Rio Ariel
Soriano of the RTWPB said the wage review was prompted by a Department of Labor
and Employment directive for a review of the last wage order.
“The basic
procedure is that after a year of the last issuance of wage order, there must
be a petition from the laborer sector for a public hearing on wage increase.
But since there was none, the DOLE initiated one,” Soriano said.
Current daily
minimum wage in Region 1 ranges from P205, P223, P244 and P253 depending on the
type of businesses.
The last wage
order was issued more than a year ago.
Committee chair
and DOLE Regional Director Grace Y. Ursua said the review on the last wage
order is in response to the increasing prices of basic commodities and workers’
needs
“Public hearing
(paves the way) for the interaction of labor and management and the balancing
of interest between the workers’ needs and the capacity of the employers to
pay,” Ursua said.
"A minimum of
90 days from hearing is given to the Regional Boards to decide on whether or
not to increase the minimum wage, in what amount and form, the period includes
publication and for counter petition, if any," Soriano said.
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