- MITCH M. LIPA
The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Western Visayas will finally discuss next week the Pandemic Emergency Relief Allowance being pushed by the labor sector.
The virtual RTWPB meeting is set on Feb. 16.
It has been months since labor manifested that the PERA be granted but it apparently fell on deaf ears with the RTWPB claiming they still gathering needed data.
Department of Labor and Employment-6 Regional Director Cyril Ticao confirmed that the PERA is up for discussion by the wage board on Feb. 16.
Labor representatives Wennie Sancho and Hernani Braza welcomed the DOLE move, saying it is long overdue since they proposed the granting of the PERA in November 2020 yet.
The labor sector manifested that workers be given, temporarily, a P25 daily PERA with the onset of the pandemic instead of wage adjustment.
Sancho said they hope for understanding from the regional directors of the National Economic Development Authority, the Department of Trade and Industry and the DOLE on the matter.
The labor sector also hoped that the data to be presented by the three government agencies will be in their favor, citing that their purchasing power had been greatly diminished due to the pandemic and the rising prices of basic commodities.
Sancho, however, said that they expect a strong opposition from the management sector after the Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines issued a statement in January that any wage adjustment is untimely and will not help the government’s economic recovery efforts.
But Sancho said that if members of the tripartite board will not agree to a temporary PERA for three to four months, the labor groups in Region 6 will be compelled to join the national petition of a daily wage adjustment of P80 to P100.
Sancho added the latest adjustment under Wage Order No. 25 had already lapsed on Nov. 26, 2020, and they can start discussing motu proprio economic condition in the region as well as possible salary increase.
The labor sector said they believe that if the board will agree to grant the temporary allowance, then they need to re-evaluate if there is a need to integrate this allowance to the daily salary or issue a higher wage adjustment. – MML
