Thursday, May 21, 2015


TAGBILARAN CITY, May 20 (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 employee has 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 sing 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. (rac/PIA-7Bohol)

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