Workers in Western Visayas to get P25 pay hike

Minimum wage earners in Western Visayas, including in Negros Occidental will receive an additional Php25 in the daily wage after the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) approved the salary adjustment in the region. (Photo by Kguirnela – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,)

MANILA—Minimum wage earners in Western Visayas, including in Negros Occidental will receive an additional Php25 in the daily wage after the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) approved the salary adjustment in the region.

In a statement, DOLE VI OIC-Regional Director Salome Siaton noted that Wage Order No. 23 covers minimum wage workers in the private sector in the six provinces of the region comprising Iloilo, Antique, Aklan, Capiz, Guimaras and Negros Occidental.

In the commercial and industrial sectors, workers engaged by establishments employing more than 10 employees will receive an increase of Php25 while those engaged by companies employing 10 workers and below will get Php15 increase.

For agriculture, both plantation and non-plantation workers will get an increase of Php15.

But, the new wage order does not cover household or domestic workers, persons in the personal service of another, as they are covered by Wage Order No.

RBVI-D.W. 1 which was issued by the board in December 2015.

Likewise, the order is not applicable to workers of duly registered Barangay Micro Business Enterprises (BMBEs).

New and distressed establishments as well as those affected by calamities such as natural or human induced disasters are also exempted from implementing the new Wage Order as board’s consideration on their proven financial difficulties.

The increase was affirmed by the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) on February 17 and will take effect 15 days after its publication in the local newspaper of regional circulation.

The wage adjustment was a result of series of public consultation and hearings conducted by the board on the petition filed by the Philippine Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Workers’ Union (PACIWU) -TUCP in DOLE Region VI in August last year.