BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental (PNA)— Thousands of laborers in Negros Occidental are pushing for a considerable hike in their wages with the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Western Visayas.
Labor representative Winnie Sancho said commercial and industrial workers in the province are asking for an increase of R113.57; workers in plantations that are bigger than 24 hectares are asking for R100.45 more while those in plantations which are less than 24 hectares are asking for a wage increase of R96.35.
S u c h p r o p o s e d increases are based on the current daily minimum wage in Region 6, or Western Visayas, which is R277 for industrial and nonagricultural workers in companies with more than 10 employees and R235 to those employed in companies with less than 10 workers.
Workers in the agriculture sector employed in plantations, on the other hand, get R245 daily while non-plantation workers are paid R235 daily.
“The increases represent the daily wage lost by workers based on the computation of wage hikes as provided under Wage Order No. RB 6-20 Series of 2012,” he said.
Sancho said the last daily wage increase of R12 took effect last April 1, 2012.
In 2011, the RTWPB-6 issued Wage Order No. 19, which granted a R12 Emergency Cost of Living Allowance for workers for three months from July 15 to October 15.
At present, the real daily wage for commercial and industrial workers is only R163.43 and for plantation workers, wages range from R144.55 to R138.65.
“Considering the real value of the peso, and as confirmed by the National Statistics Office in its 2012 report, the real value of R277 rate is only R163.70,” said Sancho, quoting from a petition prepared by labor groups here.
The R277 daily rate should be increased by R113.57 to make it R390.57 just to reflect the real value of the peso in workers’ daily wage, he underlined.
“The gap between nominal and real wages should be closed and the lost daily wage of workers should be recovered. Otherwise, the lives of wage earners will become more miserable,” Sancho added.
He said Negros Occidental laborers’ wage petition must be pushed also to buttress their purchasing power.

Source: Manila Bulletin - May 31, 2013