DOLE to decide on regional wage hike petitions soon

MANILA – An official of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Thursday said the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs) are expected to come up with their decision on wage hikes petitions in the next few weeks.

“We have heard that many public hearings are already scheduled. So, in the next few weeks or next month, they will be able to make their decisions,” said DOLE Undersecretary Benjo Benavidez at the Laging Handa briefing.

“So, let’s hope that in the next coming weeks, before the end of the present administration, our boards will have their decisions,” he added.

According to the DOLE official, the regional wage boards are currently conducting consultations with stakeholders including employers and workers.

“So, I don’t want to personally preempt the decisions of the boards. But they are studying the situation in their regions on what are the needs of the workers and also capabilities of the employers,” he said.

“All the regional boards have already started their process of setting the minimum wage rate,” Benavidez added.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has filed 10 petitions for adjustments to the salaries of workers in the country.

The regions are National Capital Region (NCR), 3 (Central Luzon), 7 (Central Visayas), 9 (the Zamboanga peninsula), 10 (Northern Mindanao), 11, (Davao), 12 (Sockssargen) and Caraga.

The group is also looking to file the same petitions in Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and Region 2.

Meanwhile, he reported that there are over 80,000 jobs available for local and overseas employment for Filipino jobseekers on Labor Day.

“We have 26 sites for job and business fairs but we will hold the main event of the job and business fair in San Fernando, Pampanga,” the DOLE official said.

Of the 82,000 job vacancies, 61,000 are for local employment while 21,000 are for jobs overseas.

He said that among the in-demand jobs in the country are in the manufacturing sector, business process outsourcing, retail and sales, production operators, service representatives, collection specialists, and retail and sales agents.

As for job opportunities abroad, there are demands for nurses, nursing aides, waiters, food servers, auditors, and also construction workers such as carpenters, foremen, and welders.

“The destinations include the Middle East, Europe such as Germany (and) Poland,” Benavidez said.