The labor sector in Western Visayas is calling for a wage increase amid the soaring prices of petroleum products, with another “big time” hike on Tuesday, March 8.
Caltex, Cleanfuel, Jetti, Petro Gazz, Seaoil, and Shell in separate advisories said they will increase gasoline prices by P3.60 per liter and P5.85 per liter for diesel.
Caltex, Seaoil, and Shell will also hike kerosene prices by PHP4.10 per liter.
Wennie Sancho, labor representative to the Regional Wage Board, in a letter to Labor Regional Director Sixto Rodriguez on Monday, March 7, said the extraordinary increases in the prices of petroleum products and other goods and services constitutes a “supervening condition” that would allow the Regional Wage Board “to initiate the process of minimum wage fixing even without a formal wage petition from the labor sector”.
Nevertheless, the labor sector in Western Visayas is considering filing a consolidated petition for a P100 wage increase per day, if needed, he said.
But for now they are urging the Regional Wage Board to act with dispatch on the matter, he said.
Sancho also asked that a “Workers Manifesto” be tackled in the next regular meeting of the wage board.
The “Workers Manifesto” is an official statement of the workers in the private sector, in their struggle for adequate compensation to have a decent standard of living, Sancho said, citing the continued erosion of their purchasing power.
The manifesto pointed out that there was no wage increase in 2020 and 2021.
“It is imperative that a wage increase of P95 to P100 per day be given to the WV workers”, it said.
“No amount of rhetoric from our government economists and statisticians could convince the labor sector that our economy is on the road to recovery,” it said.
The Regional Wage Board would be remiss in its duty if it will ignore the urgent call of labor for a wage increase now, the manifesto said.*