The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Tuesday announced that the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) has issued wage increase orders for private sector workers and domestic workers (kasambahay) to take effect on Nov. 12. In Wage Order No. RIX-22 dated Oct. 16, the board granted a PHP30 hike in the minimum wage of workers upon effectivity. Meanwhile, the second tranche of wage hike amounting to PHP13 would be granted to retail/service establishments employing 10 to 30 workers effective Feb. 1, 2024. The wage order is expected to directly benefit 56,848 minimum wage earners. About 121,490 full-time wage and salary workers earning above the minimum wage may also indirectly benefit as a result of upward adjustments at the enterprise level arising from the correction of wage distortion. The monthly wage rate for chartered cities and first-class municipalities in the region will now be PHP4,600, and PHP4,100 for other municipalities. With the increase, the daily minimum wage is now at PHP381 for the non-agriculture sector and retail/ service establishments with 31 or more workers and PHP368 for the agriculture sector. It explained that the new rates for workers in the private sector translate to a 9 to 13 percent increase from the prevailing daily minimum wage rates in the region and result in a comparable 23 percent increase in wage-related benefits covering 13th-month pay, service incentive leave (SIL), and social security benefits such as Social Security System (SSS), PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG. The wage board also issued Wage Order No. RIX-DW-04, increasing the monthly minimum wage of kasambahay by PHP600, which is expected to benefit a total of 18,984 domestic workers - approximately 13 percent (2,491) of whom are on live-in arrangements, and 87 percent (16,493) are live-out. The last wage orders for workers in private establishments and domestic workers in the region were both issued on June 1, 2022 and became effective on June 25, 2022.
Source: Philippines News Agency
