Western Visayas workers get P40 to P45 pay hike

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines —Minimum wage earners in Western Visayas including Negros Occidental and Bacolod City will receive an increase of P40 to P45 in their daily pay following the approval of a wage hike petition by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board.

RTWPB-Western Visayas chairman Sixto Rodriguez Jr. said the board approved Wage Order No. 30 on Oct. 21 and submitted it to the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) the following day for affirmation.

Under the new wage order, workers in the agriculture sector will receive an increase of P45, raising their daily minimum pay from P520 to P565.

Workers in non-agriculture establishments employing more than 10 people will get an increase of P40, raising their daily minimum pay from P550 to P590.

Those in non-agriculture establishments with 10 or fewer workers will also receive an increase of P40, raising their daily minimum wage from P525 to P565.

The wage order also covers household workers or kasambahays who will get an increase of P500, raising their minimum monthly salary from P6,500 to P7,000.

The new wage rates will take effect in the middle part of next month following the required publication and completion of other processes, subject to the affirmation of the NWPC and approval by the Department of Labor and Employment.

Although Negros Occidental is now part of the newly created Negros Island Region, the province remains under the jurisdiction of RTWPB-Westen Visayas, pending the establishment of a separate wage board for the NIR.