TUCP won’t give up fight for wage hike

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said yesterday that it will not give up the fight for higher workers’ salaries although a one-year ban on wage adjustment is still in effect.

TUCP spokesman Allan Tanjusay said that there are enough reasons for the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBS) to consider a wage hike because of the soaring prices of basic goods and services in the country.

“Even before one year lapses, wage petition can be entertained because of supervening situation like oil price hikes, increases ( in) prices of basic goods and services are happening right now,” Tanjusay said in a text message.

TUCP’S statement came at the heels of the RTWPB-NAtional Capital Region (NCR) claim that there was no “supervening condition” to raise the salaries of workers in Metro Manila before the one-year ban on wage hike lapses.

The RTWPB-NCR, however, clarified that it does not mean that petition for salary increase filed while the ban is in place had already been junked. It assured the public that several activities, like public hearing and consultations, have been lined up to discuss such petition.

The ban for Metro Manila will end on May 26 because the last salary increase there took effect on May 26, 2011.

Tanjusay noted that the wage boards should consider the current economic situation sensibly and decide on pending petition for wage adjustments.

“If workers are hungry, then this Aquino government will have bigger social and political problems. I hope the wage board will handle this wage issue very sensibly. Otherwise workers will seek justice in the streets,” he added.

The TUCP has filed for a petition for P90 across-the-board wage hike at the RTWPB-NCR after the fare for jeepneys in Metro Manila was increased by 50 centavos.