Rey Anthony H.
Chiu
TAGBILARAN CITY, May 21(PIA) --The impending regional integration
has already claimed its victims: Bohol's hotel and restaurant industry.
At the recent wage consultation attended by regional sector
representatives for labor and management, no less than an officer of the Bohol
Association of Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants (BAHRR) complained of a certain
kind of piracy of their employees they trained to man their front operations.
The Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board visited Bohol
to gather inputs on the need to fix the P310 minimum wage order or freeze it,
after about six months of fluctuations in fuel and other basic commodities.
In Bohol however, the RTWPB hinted that there are still some
workers earning below the minimum wage, despite the massive call to strictly
implement the P310 minimum daily pay.
As the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) insists perks
given to workers may be summed to form a significant add-on so if the pay is
below minimum, Officer in Charge German Guidaben said it must pass through the
DOLE and that the workers have to be consulted and they agree, before this is
included to make the wage P310.
On this strict policy, a representative from Panda Tea Garden
Suites, a member of the BAHRR asked, "Can we design a wage system so we
can address the piracy of employees?"
Panda Tea, where the BAHRR and the Local Government Support
Program- Local Economic Development implemented its Food Handling Training last
June, recently found out that their employees had been convinced to work abroad
after getting the training.
Of course we could not stop the employee from taking the bigger
offer, the contact even happening inside the hotel, the Panda Tea rep added.
On this, TRWPB member and Department of Trade and Industry
Regional Director Asteria Caberte hinted that instead of offering free
trainings, establishment could charge a little bit of training fees.
Some of the trainings however were rendered free due to support
from governments and groups, but BAHRR had insisted that the trainees who would
be sent must be the ones performing the skills for enhancement.
Moreover, Caberte also hinted on getting the employees on training
sign a contract with the establishment, so they could not easily abandon their
establishments.
Beginning this year, in compliance with the regional association
of nations in Asia, Asians would not be having a hard time getting into local
industries and take workers off their local posts owing to the ASEAN
integration. (mbcn/rahc/PIA7-Bohol)