Central Luzon workers will get P40 wage hike on Oct. 16

IMAGE: Daniella Marie Agacer

MABALACAT CITY, Pampanga – Workers in the private sector across seven provinces of Central Luzon will receive a P40 daily wage increase starting the second half of October, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) of Central Luzon announced on September 19.

The order was published on Saturday, September 30, and takes effect on October 16.

The RTWPB of Central Luzon stated that daily wages for workers in non-agricultural establishments in Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales will rise to P500 from P460 for establishments with ten or more employees and to P493 from P453 for those with fewer than ten employees.

For plantation workers, the wage will increase to P470 from P430, and for those in non-plantations, it will be P454, up from P414.

Employees in retail and service establishments with ten or more staff will see their wages go up to P489 from P449. In establishments with fewer than ten workers, the wage will rise to P475 from P435.

In Aurora province, while workers will also see a P40 wage boost, their pay is lower than their counterparts in other parts of the region. In non-agricultural establishments in Aurora, the new daily wage is set at P449, while in agricultural firms, it will be P434 and P422, and P384 in retail and service establishments.

The RTWPB cited on its website the “various wage determination criteria under Republic Act No. 6727 or the Wage Rationalization Act,” which considers factors such as the rising cost of basic goods and commodities and petitions from labor groups.

The Kilusang Mayo Uno, a militant labor union, continues to advocate for a P750 universal wage increase “to help ordinary Filipinos navigate the current economic climate” and offset the rising costs of essential goods and commodities.