CEBU CITY — Citing indications of a positive outlook in the economy, a major labor organization group is set to file a petition seeking an increase of P100 in the daily wage of workers in Central Visayas.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), taking note of the increase in prices of goods, fuel, basic commodities and reports of the economy picking up, will file Monday its petition before the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB), asking that the minimum wage of laborers in the region be raised to P367.

TUCP party-list representative Raymund Mendoza told reporters it has been two years since the RTWPB has effected an increase in the minimum wage in Metro Cebu from P250 to 267 per day.
"A wage increase is badly needed with the rising prices of common food items, gas pump prices, and basic commodities," he said.

Speaking before more than 1,000 labor leaders and supporters during the TUCP’s Area Council Meeting last Saturday, Mendoza said they already filed a similar petition in Luzon and Mindanao.

He said in 2009, the labor group did not seek any wage increase because of the global crisis, “but with the increasing prices of basic commodities today, there is a need for another wage hike.”

Mendoza said the TUCP will also ask the wage board to review salaries of househelpers, because many of the latter only receive as low as P500 or P800 to about P1,000 monthly, an inconsequential amount relative to the current rise in cost of goods.

This move by the TUCP has found support in Nationalista Party senatorial candidate Susan Ople, whose late father, Blas, was Labor Secretary during the two-decade long administration of Ferdinand Marcos.

Business group, Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) however, is warning the TUCP that another round of increase in wage will surely hurt businesses as the economy has not yet fully recovered.

Instead of a wage increase, MCCI President Eric Mendoza is batting for the government to focus on improving job competitiveness and skills training so as to enable workers more job options.