P40 NCR wage hike begins July 16 despite appeal – DOLE
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MANILA, Philippines — The P40-wage increase for private sector employees will proceed on July 16, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), despite an appeal filed by a coalition of labor groups.
“Employers in NCR are expected to implement the new daily minimum wage on [July 16] date despite an appeal filed by a coalition of labor organizations,” said DOLE in a statement.
The Alliance of Nationalist and Genuine Labor Organization, Labor Alliance for National Development, Gabay ng Unyon sa Telekomunikasyon at Serbisyo, Pinagkaisang Lakas ng Manggagawa ng Manila Bay, and its associated labor organizations filed the appeal on July 3.
Due to inflation and “soaring prices of basic services and commodities,” appellants argued that the basis of minimum wage should be the family living wage, amounting to P1,161, and not the poverty threshold.
However, the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) said that the appeal is part of the minimum wage determination process and shall be acted upon within 60 calendar days from the filing date.
It explained that under NWPC Guidelines No. 03, Series of 2022, or the Omnibus Rules on Minimum Wage Determination, a wage order may be appealed on the “ground of grave abuse of discretion on the part of the Board for committing a serious error in the application of the law, and non-compliance with prescribed guidelines and/or procedures.”
Meanwhile, DOLE said that petitions for minimum wage increases have also been filed in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, and Central Visayas.
Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs) in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Western Visayas are already discussing the merit of the petitions.
On the other hand, the RTWPB in Central Visayas is set to conduct public hearings in July and August 2023.
It can be recalled that DOLE recently approved Wage Order No. NCR-24, increasing the daily minimum wage in Metro Manila from P570 to P610 for the non-agriculture sector and from P533 to P573 for the agriculture sector, service, and retail establishments employing 15 or fewer workers and manufacturing establishments regularly employing less than 10 workers.
