New Wage Order in Region 8 to take effect in August

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
July 22, 2006

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte  –  The new wage order in Region 8 will take effect in August of this year, NEDA Director Junie Gosoco, who is the vice chairman of the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board, revealed in an interview with PIA.

He said that by then, the regulation period for publication would have been met. He said that he does not foresee any violent reaction to the Wage Order because both the business and the labor sectors are represented in the Board. In fact, there was really no petition for wage hike from any labor group.

Director Gosoco believes that the P14.00 increase will already help the workers to at least regain some of their losses in the buying power of the peso.

He does not see any negative effect the new wage order will bring to the business in the Region because businessmen are innovative and they will be able to find means in order that the wage increase will not have any adverse effect to their business.

He said that the businessmen must find ways to increase productivity so that the business will not suffer. He added that in the consultations in Catbalogan, the workers proposed for a P20.00 increase while the business sector proposed P25.00 increase. He said that maybe the businessmen in Catbalogan, most of whom are fish dealers, are enjoying good business.

With the new wage order, the ordinary worker in the Region will already receive a minimum basic pay of P220.00 per day. The usual minimum wage is P188.00 plus P18.00 COLA.

In the new wage order No. 13 the P18.00 COLA was added to the P188.00 basic pay plus another P14.00 making the minimum wage P220.00 per day.

Director Gosoco encouraged the workers to be productive because the more productive they are, the more chances they will have of getting bigger pay. He said that productivity and work ethics count a lot in the workplace.

Region 8 is the second region after NCR to have announced a wage hike.