Region 11 board tackling wage hike petition

DAVAO CITY – The Southern Mindanao wage board is now tackling a petition seeking a P75 across-the-board wage increase for more than 1.6 million workers in the region.

The board is expected to issue its resolution on the petition by Aug. 19. It conducted the last of its sectoral consultations across the region last July 19.

At present, the region’s non-agricultural workers get a daily minimum wage of P224 with P16 cost-of-living allowance (COLA).

Agricultural (plantation) workers, on the other hand, receive P214 per day, and non-plantation workers, P193 plus P16 COLA.

Southern Mindanao is largely an agriculture-based economy, where a significant number of workers are employed in banana plantations sub-contracted by multinational firms like Dole and Del Monte.

Labor officials said several employers are still unable to pay the present wage levels as mandated in the last wage order issued in July last year.