Bicol workers get wage increase

MANILA, Philippines - Bicol workers have all the reasons to smile these days after the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) reported that they would get an increase in their daily take-home pay.

Effective Jan. 10, NWPC said, the minimum wage earners in the region would get an P8 increase in their daily basic pay, as provided new wage order.

The NPWC said the pay hike brought to P260 the current daily minimum wage rate for non-agricultural workers and to P236 the daily minimum pay for agricultural workers in the region.

The new wage rates, NWPC said, covers workers in the provinces of Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate, Sorsogon as well as the cities of Iriga, Legaspi, Ligao, Masbate, Naga, Sorsogon and Tabaco.

It also covers all minimum wage earners regardless of their position, status of employment and  the method by which they are paid.

Early last year, trade unions from Bicol Region sought for an increase in the daily take home pay of workers.

After a series of public hearing and deliberations, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs) opted to adjust the minimum wage rates to enable workers to cope with the rising cost of commodities.

The Board requested commercial establishments in the region to adopt a productivity improvement scheme and gave distressed establishments a chance to file an exemption in paying the wage hike for a year.

Meanwhile, private employers in Cagayan Valley were told to comply with the wage order for workers which took effect earlier this month.

Lawyer Sixto Rodriguez Jr., Department of Labor and Employment  (DOLE) director for Cagayan Valley, said they would conduct surprise visits to establishments  to ensure strict implementation of the wage order.

“We need to verify if the employers are compying with the order or if employees are afraid to complain. For now, we presume that employers follow the minimum wage,” he said. 

Rodriguez said they would not hesitate to file a case against employers found to be not implementing the new pay hike.

As prescribed in the new wage order per province in the region, a P7 increase has been added in the daily minimum wage of private workers in Batanes and Quirino; P6 in Nueva Vizcaya; P5 in Cagayan; and P3 in Isabela.