It was supposedly a day of love, but labor representatives lost in the heated arguments that almost ended up in a fistfight during yesterday’s four-hour wage board deliberation.
The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB)-7 decided to grant a P13-cost of living allowance (COLA) for Central Visayas workers, which in effect junked labor groups’ separate petitions to raise wages.
This will not be implemented in Bohol and northern Cebu, because the board also granted an exemption of six months for employers in calamity-stricken areas.
Jose Tomongha, one of the two labor representatives to the RTWPB-7, described this as heartless. He is also the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) chairman in the Visayas.
“Wala silay kasingkasing, adlaw man unta sa mga kasingkasing karon kay Valentine’s day”, Tomongha said.
Out of frustration, Tomongha will resign from the RTWPB-7, although he will still ask permission from his national office.
The board started the deliberation at 11 a.m. and ended at past 3 p.m. at the Casino Español in Cebu City.
Tomongha said he almost had a fistfight with management sector representative Philip Tan, while labor sector representative and lawyer Ernesto Carreon almost exchanged blows with management sector representative and lawyer Hidelito Pascual.
“Dako ang nahimong debate ug hapit nalang mi magsukmagay sa deliberation, kami ni Atty Carreon against gyud mi ani”, Tomongha added.
Tomongha said the rest of the seven-member body favored the wage increase moratorium asked by the business chambers.
Voting was no longer called and instead the board went on discuss the giving of COLA.
Tomongha apologized to the workers, saying he and Ernesto Carreon were helpless because they were outvoted.
He said it was RTWPB-7 chairman and Department of Labor and Employment-7 Director Chona Mantilla who suggested the COLA, supported by the National Economic Development Authority 7 and Department of Trade and Industry directors.
Tomongha said the COLA cannot be considered a wage increase because workers can’t get the amount if they have no work and this will not be counted in computing the holidays and 13th month pay.