Win-win approach to address labor-employer relations:
Villar supports non-wage benefits to workers

Senate President Manny Villar underscored the importance of maintaining employee-employer understanding as a win-win approach to the current industrial relations situation.

We cannot afford to have only one sector on the winning side while the other side loses, Villar said, stressing the need for balance in addressing the plight of workers.

He said, We should assist our workers, and this assistance is not only in the form of salary increases but also non-wage benefits to support their familys needs.

At the same time, the Senate President urged the regional wage boards to undertake a comprehensive review of wages in the different regions and actively work for the increase of wages in places where hike must be made.

I urge our regional wage boards to evaluate wages in the regions and actively work for the increase of wages in areas where such increase has been long due, Villar said.

Villar, who is seeking reelection under the Genuine Opposition ticket as guest candidate, likewise underscored that the mismatch in the availability of skills and the actual human resource needs of employers which is one of the major problems in the labor industry should be resolved.

This is an area which both the Labor and Education departments must address to assist not only our workers but employers as well in meeting their needs which in the long run will serve to reduce unemployment rate, Villar said.

He stressed that students must be given appropriate guidance on the current labor market situation, specifically the areas where labor is in demand and there is scarcity of labor to be able resolve the mismatch between available skills and actual requirements of industries.