P12 wage hike takes effect Aug. 28

Minimum wage earners in Metro Manila will finally get the much-awaited P12 increase in their daily take home pay starting Aug. 28, the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) announced yesterday.

NWPC officer-in-charge Esther Guirao said with the effectivity of Wage Order No. 13, the daily minimum wage rate will be pegged at P362 for non-agricultural workers and P325 for agriculture, retail and manufacturing workers.

“Under the latest wage order, workers in the non-agricultural sector in NCR are entitled to a minimum of P362 basic pay while the applicable minimum wage for agriculture workers, private hospitals with bed capacity of 100 or less, retail and service establishments with less than 15 workers and small manufacturing industries with less than 10 workers in the region is P325,” Guirao pointed out.

Last week, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Metro Manila approved the new wage order mandating a P12 pay hike and the inclusion of the existing P50 cost of living allowance (COLA) into the basic wage.          – Mayen Jaymalin