Wage board OKs P35 minimum wage hike in NCR

MANILA, Philippines — The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in the National Capital Region (NCR) has approved a P35 wage increase in the minimum wage for workers in the private sector.

The decision was released on Monday and will be effective 15 days after the publication of the general circulation of newspapers.

This brings the minimum wage to P645 for non-agriculture workers in the private sector.

On the other hand, P608 will be the minimum wage for those in agriculture, service or retail with 15 workers or less, and manufacturing with less than 10 regular workers once the wage hike is implemented.

In a press release of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), it said that the wage hike was determined by the various criteria under Republic Act No. 6727 or the Wage Rationalization Act. It  took into account three petitions from labor groups requesting a hike in the daily minimum wage due to rising prices of essential goods and commodities.

“The wage order is expected to directly benefit around 988,243 minimum wage earners in NCR. About 1.7 million 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,” DOLE’s press release read.

The board that approved the wage hike comprised representatives from the government, management and labor sectors.

It was done through two consultations for workers and employers on May 23, 2024 and June 4, 2024 and a public hearing on June 20, 2024, in Quezon City as well as a wage deliberation on June 27, 2024 in Manila, according to DOLE.

The most recent minimum wage hike in NCR took effect on July 16, 2023, with a rate hike of P40.

It had set the rate of P610 for the non-agricultural sector and P573 for the agricultural sector.

‘Masahol pa sa barya’

Some progressive labor groups condemned the recent wage hike saying that the increase was not enough to sustain a regular worker’s needs.

The groups also denounced the Marcos administration’s move to increase the wages through wage boards instead of urging the House of Representatives to legislate a nationwide wage increase.

"Sa pangawalang taong anibersaryo ni Marcos Jr. sa pwesto, ang regalo niya sa mga manggagawa ay isang malaking insulto. Nagpatawag ng wage review para tugunan ang panawagan ng mga manggagawa para sa dagdag-sahod, tapos P35 lang ang ibibigay? Ni hindi pa sapat para sa isang kilong bigas!" Jerome Adonis, Secretary General of labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno said in a statement.

(In the second year anniversary of Marcos Jr. in office, his gift to the workers is a big insult. A call for wage review was made to heed the call of workers for wage increase, and then only P35 was given? It's not even enough to pay for a kilo of rice).

“Ang panawagan ng mga manggagawa ay nakabubuhay na sahod, pero ang ibibigay satin ay masahol pa sa barya. Akala ata ni Marcos Jr. ay maloloko niya tayo sa kanyang pagpapapogi at pagpapabango,” he added.

(The workers are demanding a livable wage, but what they are offering us is barely more than loose change. It seems Marcos Jr. thinks he can deceive us with his attempts to improve his image.)

It should be noted that this year’s wage hike in the NCR is P5 lower than last year’s wage increase.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, Gabriela Women’s Party-list called the recent wage hike an insult to Filipinos saying that the amount “falls short of what Filipino families need to live with dignity.”

"This P35 increase is an insult to Filipino workers. It's barely different from the P25 wage hike implemented way back in 1989, and lower than the P40 hike granted last year. How can the government expect NCR workers to survive on P645 a day when the Family Living Wage stands at P1,200 and when prices continue to accelerate?" Rep. Arlene Brosas (Gabriela Women's Party) was quoted, as saying in a statement.

"Hampaslupa ang tingin ng gobyerno sa mga manggagawa. By approving such a meager increase, the government is treating our workers as mere slaves, disregarding their basic needs and rights," she added.

(The government regards workers as impoverished. By approving such a meager increase, it is treating our workers as mere slaves, disregarding their basic needs and rights.)