Most workers in Metro underpaid

Metro Manila workers appear to least enjoy wage increases, with most employers in the region not complying with the mandated minimum wage.

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) records show that close to half or 41.4 percent of establishments in the National Capital Region (NCR) are not paying their workers appropriate wages.

From January to March, a total of 186 commercial establishments in the National Capital Region were inspected. Of the total, 77 or 41.4 percent were found violating the minimum wage law.

Statistics of the DOLE-Bureau of Working Conditions (BWC) also revealed that Metro Manila posted the lowest (58.6 percent) compliance with minimum wage rates, second to Southern Tagalog with 5.9 percent.

Minimum wage compliance rate in Metro Manila was also way below the national average compliance rate of 79.5 percent.

Four other regions – Ilocos, Northern Mindanao, Southern Mindanao, Central Mindanao and Caraga – registered compliance rate lower than the national average.

The rest of the regions posted compliance rate ranging from 81.4 percent to as high as 91.8 percent in Cagayan Valley.

Acting Labor Secretary Manuel Imson said more commercial establishments are complying with the general labor standards, including payment of appropriate wages.

In fact, Imson said, minimum wage compliance rate in Metro Manila during the first three months a year was such higher than last year’s figure of 43.4 percent.

He further noted that a total 5,909 or 79.5 percent of the 7,432 establishments inspected in the first quarter of the year complied with the existing minimum wage.

"This is higher compared to last year’s complying establishments of 5,731 or 72 percent," Imson stressed.

Imson noted that more than P28 million was awarded to 1,015 Metro Manila workers after their employers were ordered by DOLE to comply with the regulations. – Mayen Jaymalin