Central Luzon wage board moves to raise minimum wage by PHP40/day

City of San Fernando, PAMPANGA – The Department of Labor and Employment Regional Office No. III (DOLE-III) said on Monday that the regional wage board approved the PHP40 wage increase, although still subject to review by the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC).
According to DOLE-III Regional Director Geraldine M. Panlilio, the regional wage board received on February 22 a PHP750 minimum wage petition filed by the Solidarity of Unions in the Philippines for Empowerment and Reforms (SUPER), which was followed by filing of other petitions from Central Luzon Workers for Wage Increase, Association of Minimum Wage Earners and Advocates–Philippine Trade and General Workers Organization, and Trade Union Congress of the Philippines.
From April 20 to May 12, the regional board conducted its series of public consultations in all provinces in Central Luzon.
“The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board III convened yesterday, May 30, for its final deliberation and review of the wage order. We agreed to a 40 pesos wage increase to be given in two tranches, PHP30 by June 2022 and another PHP10 by January 2023,” RD Panlilio said.
“After all public consultations conducted, the Board deemed it just and necessary to increase the daily minimum wage, considering the current level of prices of basic goods, the amount needed to restore the purchasing power of the workers’ wages, and the poverty threshold in Region III,” RD Panlilio furthered.
In the proposed Wage Order No. RBIII-23, new minimum wage in all provinces except Aurora will be PHP450 for non-agriculture establishments with 10 or more workers. For those with less than 10 workers, it is expected to be PHP443/day. These are to increase by PHP10 in January 2023, making the minimum pay PHP 460 and PHP 453, respectively.
For firms in the agriculture sector, workers who previously earned PHP390 (plantation) and PHP374 (non-plantation) will receive PHP420 and PHP404 in June which will further increase by PHP10 in January.
Retail and service workers currently earning PHP409 and PHP395 will get the same PHP30-and-PHP10 pay hike, making their daily wage at PHP439 and PHP425 in June and PHP449 and PHP435 in January.
Meanwhile, minimum wage earners in Aurora province should also expect a PHP30 increase in the first tranche and another PHP10 next year. Non-agricultural workers are to be paid at least PHP399/day starting June 1.
Once the wage order is in effect, retail and service workers in Aurora will also receive the same increase and be paid at least PHP334 and PHP344 while those in the agriculture sector are also expected to get higher wages, PHP384 and PHP372 per day for plantation and non-plantation, respectively. These will increase by PHP10/day in 2023.
Minimum wage adjustment for domestic workers, however, is still under review by the RTWPB-III.
The effectivity of the proposed wage order is 15 days upon publication.
It can be recalled that the last wage increase RBIII-22 took effect on January 1, 2020. (DOLE)