THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) assured workers that regional wage boards are continuously reviewing petitions for salary increases, after lawmakers failed to ratify the proposed legislated wage hike.
“Patuloy pong nagkakaroon ng consultation at hearings ‘yung mga kanya-kanyang Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Boards,” said DOLE Undersecretary Benjo Benavidez.
“In fact, for the National Capital Region, gumulong na po ‘yung proseso at kami po ay umaasa na magkakaroon po ulit ng panibagong pag-assess kung kailangan ba na mag-increase at magkano po ‘yung increase ng minimum wage rate,” he noted.
Benavidez was speaking at the sidelines of the Independence Day Job Fair in SM Manila.
He also said that, historically, bills that don’t get passed are refiled in the next Congress. Should this happen again, he said DOLE will also do its part in providing technical input.
“Nirerespeto namin ‘yung proseso ng legislation at kami po ay patuloy na makikibahagi sa prosesong yun. Bilang kabahagi ng ehekutibo, kami ay makapagbibigay ng aming opinyon, technical input nang sa ganun ay mas maiging mabalangkas ‘yung mga panukalang batas,” he said.
Benavidez visited several job fair sites out of the 49 that were set up nationwide on June 12. 150,000 jobs were up for grabs.
To ensure the best results, local Public Employment Service Office personnel would already assess the applicants’ qualifications during registration, then recommend at least five employers that they could approach and are in need of their skills.
He noted that usually, 15 percent of job fair applicants get hired on the spot.
“Bukod po doon, meron tayong mga near-hires. Hindi man po sila pinalad na makabilang sa hired on the spot ay binibigyan pa po sila ng oportunidad na ma-hire sa pamamagitan ng pag-submit ng ibang dokumento, pag-undergo pa ng isang proseso ng hiring,” he added.
According to DOLE, by holding more job fairs as frequently as they can, they hope to be able to help bring down the country’s unemployment and underemployment figures.
“Sinisikap pa po natin na mas maraming negosyo ang magbukas, maraming mga namumuhunan ang mag-expand ng kanilang negosyo nang sa ganun ay makapag-create sila ng mas maraming trabaho. Mas magandang trabaho, mas maganda ang pasahod,” said Benavidez. (ABS-CBN News)
