DOLE says workers in Western Visayas to get as high as P110 increase
Minimum wage earners in the National Capital Region will have a P33 daily hike while those in Western Visayas (Region 6) will receive an increase of up to P110, the labor department announced on Saturday.
With the salary adjustment, Metro Manila workers in the non-agriculture sector will be receiving P570 in daily wage while those working in the agriculture sector will get P533.
The last wage order for employees in private establishments in Metro Manila was issued on November 22, 2018, granting a P25 increase in the minimum wage.
The wage adjustment was significantly lower than the wage hike petitions filed by major labor groups in NCR.
The Associated Labor Unions and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines have sought a P470 increase in the National Capital Region.
The Federation of Free Workers (FFW), on the other hand, called for a P750 national minimum daily wage, saying that the current system in which sets different rates per region is discriminatory.
Eva Arcos, ALU’s national vice president for education and information, said with the current minimum wages, a family of five can only spend between P11 and P20 per meal.
But according to the Department of Labor and Employment, the salary adjustment is expected to benefit around one million minimum wage earners in private establishments in Metro Manila.
“The increase considered the restoration of the purchasing power of minimum wage earners because of the escalating prices of basic goods, commodities, and petroleum products,” the department said in a statement.
On the other hand, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Western Visayas approved a P55 to P110 wage increase for workers in the non-agriculture, industrial and commercial establishments.
The salary hike brought the daily minimum wage in the region to P450 and P420 for those employing more than 10 workers and those employing 10 or less, respectively.
The regional board likewise granted a P95 increase for workers in the agriculture sector, bringing the daily minimum wage to P410.
Around 214,836 minimum wage earners in private establishments in Western Visayas are expected to benefit from the pay rise.
It also approved a P500 increase in the monthly minimum pay rate for domestic helpers or “kasambahay,” bringing it to P4,500.
This is expected to benefit 160,795 domestic workers.
The last wage order for workers in Western Visayas took effect on November 26, 2019.
“The increase… [seeks] to bring the minimum wage rate above the 2021 first semester poverty threshold,” the Labor department added.