The General Alliance of Workers Associations (GAWA) on Sunday, May 24, said it was dismayed over the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) -Western Visayas’ decision to dismiss a petition for a wage increase for all private-sector workers in WV and Negros Occidental.
Wennie Sancho, secretary general of GAWA, said the dismissal of the requested ₱250 daily wage hike—originally filed by the United Panay Labor Alliance—on a mere technicality was premature.
The WV RTWPB decision also covers workers of Negros Occidental since no wage board has been created for the Negros Island Region, Sancho said.
The dismissal of the wage petition on a technicality “is like using procedural moves to avoid a decision,” Sancho said.
“It means that the wage petition was dismissed without evaluating its merits. This is an injustice to minimum wage workers who have been excluded from financial aid or ayuda. Denying their petition for a wage increase amidst worsening economic conditions is adding insult to injury”, he said.
GAWA emphasized that the dismissal undermines the workers’ status as the “primary social economic force,” a principle explicitly protected under the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
The labor group argued that denying financial relief on procedural grounds while workers struggle with the skyrocketing costs of food, transport, electricity, and basic services effectively betrays the very purpose of the wage-setting process.
“The wage board is trying to prolong the agony of the workers,” the group added.
GAWA reminded the Board that its core mandate is to ensure just and fair wages that reflect both the needs of the working class and the economic realities of the region.
By “hiding behind technicalities,” GAWA warned that the Board is actively undermining trust in the tripartite system and sending a message that workers’ welfare is secondary to bureaucratic form.
GAWA is calling on the wage board to reconsider its decision, prioritize substance over technicality, and open the floor to genuine consultations with labor representatives.
“A just wage is not a favor, it is a constitutional right and a demand of equity,” Sancho said.
“We stand with all the workers in Western Visayas. We will continue to organize, mobilize, and push for a wage policy that upholds the honor and dignity of every worker”, he added.*
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