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EMPLOYER
groups see the agitation for wage hikes as inevitable,
but have asked the government and labor to consider also
that the same price spikes making life miserable for
workers have swollen business costs and could imperil
the operations of some members.
The
Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI),
Employers’ Confederation of the
Philippines
(Ecop) and the Philippine Exporters Confederation (Philexport)
said Monday, though, they will follow any decision from
the regional tripartite wage boards.
The
groups said any increase in the daily earnings of
employees should not further erode the competitiveness
of Philippine firms and cause the shrinking of the
formal sector.
Samie
Lim, PCCI president, said putting the burden on the
business sector every time the prices of basic
commodities rise is not the right approach.
“The
wage increase should not be tied to the rice issue
because we believe this is just a temporary problem that
also requires temporary measures,” he told the
BusinessMirror.
The
government, Lim said, should be the one taking care of
the rice problem, particularly since funds are being
allocated every year for the state’s rice-production
agenda.
Should
the wage boards find it necessary to give workers a
reprieve due solely to the escalating prices of
commodities, Lim said the business sector would prefer
to provide emergency allowances or give rice subsidies
and coupons for the time being.
“I think
these measures are better than raising workers’ wages,
which becomes permanent. I mean, have you seen a wage
rollback when there is a rollback in oil prices?” he
said.
Earlier,
Speaker Prospero C. Nograles expressed support for a new
wage increase “amid the spiraling food and fuel prices
that is causing tremendous pressure to every Filipino’s
ability to cope with their day-to-day needs.”
Sergio
Ortiz-Luis, Ecop and Philexport president, said the
employers will follow the decision of the wage boards
for any wage increase depending on their assessments of
the situation per region. He, however, said implementing
the increase would be difficult if it is not based on
productivity, and might just force more companies to go
to the informal sector.
Currently, Ortiz-Luis said only 16 percent, or about 5
million, of the country’s labor force belong to the
formal sector, which is protected by the state. |
