Wage hike (INQUIRER.net PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — Wage hike petitions in two more regions are gaining traction after the wage boards in Ilocos and Central Luzon scheduled public hearings and consultations in the next two weeks for minimum pay adjustments for private sector employees, including domestic workers.
The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Ilocos Region called for a consultation on Aug. 29 for the wage adjustments for domestic workers, or “kasambahay,” and workers employed in private establishments.
Its counterpart in Central Luzon scheduled a public hearing on Sept. 4., also for kasambahay and private employees.
Advanced stages
This developed following statements made last month by Criselda Sy, executive director of the National Wages Productivity Commission (NWPC), that the respective wage hike petitions in the regions of Calabarzon, Bicol, Western Visayas and Central Visayas were also in advanced stages of consultations.
According to Sy, regional boards take into account the following criteria in determining the appropriate wage increase in an area: demand for a living wage, the consumer price index, the cost of living, needs of workers and their families, the region’s ability to attract investments, the prevailing wage level and the capacity of local employers to pay.
Only Metro Manila saw an increase in the minimum wage this year, which took effect on July 16. The daily pay rates jumped by P40 to P610 for nonagricultural workers in the capital region.
In Ilocos and Central Luzon, where wage adjustments may also be imminent, current daily minimum pay rates that were implemented last year range from P372 to P400 and P344 to P460.
DOLE budget cuts
During the House committee hearing on the proposed 2024 budget of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said the agency intended to “continue reviewing” until next year the wage petitions in the rest of the 16 regions.
Under the 2024 National Expenditure Program, Dole is set to get a total funding of P40.15 billion, with P20.9 billion for the Office of the Secretary and P19.2 billion for the attached agencies. The proposed funding is 15-percent lower than the current budget of P47.2 billion.
The overall reduction is mainly due to the cuts in funding made for the community-based assistance program Tupad — or Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers — which will get P12.9 billion next year from P19.4 billion in 2023.
Current pay levels
As of February 2023, the monthly minimum wages for domestic workers per region are as follows:
Metro Manila: P6,000
Cordillera Administrative Rregion: P4,500
Ilocos Region: P5,000
Cagayan Valley: P5,000
Central Luzon
Cities and first-class municipalities: P5,000
Other municipalities: P4,500
Calabarzon
Cities and first-class municipalities: P5,000
Other municipalities: P4,000• Mimaropa: P4,500
Bicol Region: P4,000
Western Visayas: P4,500
Central Visayas
Cities and first-class municipalities: P5,500
Other municipalities: P4,500
Eastern Visayas
Cities and first-class municipalities: P5,000
Other municipalities: P4,500
Zamboanga Peninsula
Cities and first-class municipalities: P4,000
Other municipalities: P3,500
Northern Mindanao
Cities and first-class municipalities: P4,500
Other municipalities: P3,500• Davao region: P4,500
Soccsksargen
Cities and first-class municipalities: P4,500
Other municipalities: P4,000
Caraga: P4,000
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Mulism Mindanao: P2,681
(As of 2020, based on available data)
Source: Inquirer Archives, nwpc.dole.gov.ph