CAGAYAN DE ORO: Workers in the Northern Mindanao Region are significantly developing their organizational skills to help them negotiate for better pay and working conditions, a former official of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) said.
In a radio interview on Wednesday, Proculo Sarmen, a former commissioner of NLRC 8th Division, noted that workers in large companies in the region have continued to form unions to negotiate collective bargaining agreements (CBAs).
The CBAs are contracts between a recognized labor union and the employers to establish terms and working conditions, which are usually the basis for increased wages and bonuses.
“We will still fight for the constitutional right to self-organization, the right to negotiation through collective bargaining, and the right to concerted action,” Sarmen, a lawyer, said.
Sarmen, who is now the legal counsel of the Federation of Free Workers, said issues on minimum wage remain the top concern of workers in the region and that companies need a
sense of “social conscience” in addressing the matter.
He said that even when he is no longer in office, groups still approach him to share their concerns about wages.
“Almost every day, we get to receive complaints about (non-compliance) of minimum wages, and we encourage them to the (Department) of Labor (and Employment) for them to check and invite management to settle this non-payment of wages, underpayments, or (any forms) of discrimination,” Sarmen said.
According to the Wages and Productivity Commission, the minimum wage in Northern Mindanao ranges from PHP401 to PHP428.
Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment-Northern Mindanao (DOLE-10) said some 9,379 job opportunities were available in its Labor Day job fair held in this city.
DOLE-10 also distributed government assistance through its programs, including the Integrated Livelihood Program, worth nearly PHP35.4 million for the 1,805 recipients.
Source: Philippines News Agency