C. Luzon workers get pay hike

MANILA, Philippines - Workers in Central Luzon will soon have higher take-home pay, the Department of Labor and Employment announced Monday.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board (RTWPB) granted a P13 increase in the daily basic pay of minimum wage earners in the region.

“The pay hike will take effect 15 days after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the region,” Baldoz said citing a report from the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC).

Under the new wage order, Baldoz said the new minimum wage in Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales would range from P342 to P349 for workers in the non-agriculture sector.

For workers in the agriculture sector, the minimum wage will range from P303 to P319, while for the retail and service sectors the rate will be P324 to P338.

For the province of Aurora, Baldoz said, the new minimum wage would be P298 for non-agriculture workers and P271 to P283 for agriculture workers. Workers in the retail and service sectors will get a minimum daily wage of P228.

NPWC executive director Criselda Sy said financially distressed establishments employing not more than 10 workers and those hit by natural and human-made disasters may apply for exemption from the pay hike.

Sy said the new wage order covers all minimum wage workers and employees in the private sector, regardless of position, designation or status of employment.

Domestic workers and persons employed in the personal service of another, including family drivers and workers of barangay micro-business enterprises with certificates of authority are not covered by the salary increase.  – With Ding Cervantes