Silvestre Bello III

Wage hikes set in Eastern Visayas, Caraga

June 11, 2022 People's Tonight 342 views

THE National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) has affirmed the wage orders granting pay hikes for minimum wage earners and “kasambahay” (domestic helper) in Eastern Visayas and kasambahays in Caraga.

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III announced that minimum wage earners in Eastern Visayas will benefit from a P50-wage increase, while kasambahays will receive a P500-wage increase after the wage orders issued by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) VIII were affirmed by the NWPC.

Bello added that the NWPC has likewise approved the wage order issued by the RTWPB Board XIII, granting pay hikes amounting to P500 and P1,000 for kasambahay in Caraga.

The Labor Secretary chairs the NWPC.

Under Wage Order No. RBVIII-22, the wage increase in Eastern Visayas will be implemented in two tranches – P25 upon effectivity of the wage order and another P25 on January 2, 2023.

After full implementation of wage tranches, workers in the non-agriculture sector and retail and service establishments employing 11 or more workers will receive a daily wage of P375.

Meanwhile, workers in the agriculture sector, cottage and handicraft, and retail and service establishments employing ten workers or less will receive a daily wage of P345.

Meanwhile, under Wage Order No. RBVIII-DW-03, the Board has granted a P500-wage increase bringing the new minimum monthly wage rate for kasambahay in Eastern Visayas to P5,000 for chartered cities and first-class municipalities and P4,500 for other municipalities.

“Around 82,712 workers in private establishments and 57,081 kasambahay are expected to benefit from the minimum wage increases in Eastern Visayas,” said Bello, adding that the previous wage orders for workers in private establishments and kasambahay took effect on August 18, 2019 and January 1, 2020, respectively.

Additionally, the RTWPB XIII issued Wage Order No. RXIII-DW-03 granting wage increases amounting to P500 and P1,000 bringing the new monthly wage rate for kasambahay in Caraga to P4,000.

Around 32,867 domestic workers in the region are expected to benefit from the minimum wage increase. The previous Wage Order for kasambahay took effect on October 4, 2019.

The wage orders will take effect after 15 days from publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the region.

Meanwhile, Bello said the pay hike for minimum wage earners in Caraga already took effect on June 6.

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