Minimum wage earners in Region 12 to receive daily increase of P35
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Minimum wage earners in the private sector in Region 12 will receive a daily increase of P35 to be given in two tranches, an official said Friday.
Eva Lacambra, Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board -12 (RTWPB-12) secretary, said by phone the first tranche of P22 will take effect on October 16 and P13 on January 1, 2024.
After the full implementation, the daily minimum wage rates in the region will be P403 for non-agriculture and P382 for agriculture/service/retail workers, she said.
The current minimum wage rate in Region 12 is P368 for the non-agriculture sector and P347 for the agriculture/retail/service sector.
The last time the minimum wage rates were adjusted in the area was on September 1, 2022.
During the public consultation, Lacambra said that a worker’s group sought a P100 daily increase to mitigate the impact of the rising prices of commodities in the area.
However, she added that the RTWPB-12 board decided to grant only a P35 daily increase after considering different factors, apparently including the capacity of employers to absorb the wage hike.
Aside from government agencies, the Board is composed of representatives from the management and labor sectors.
The inflation rate in the region stood at 5.1 percent in August 2023, down 1.7 percent from 6.8 percent during the same period last year, data from the Philippine Statistical Authority – Region 12 showed.
Lacambra said the daily wage hike “could help ordinary workers cope up with the inflation rate in the region.”
The RTWPB-12 also issued Wage Order No. RB XII-DW-04, granting a monthly increase of P500 for domestic workers in the region. This would bring to P5,000 the monthly salaries of domestic workers in the cities and to P4,500 in the municipalities.
Region 12, also known as Soccsksargen region, straddles the provinces of South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Sarangani, as well as the cities of Koronadal, General Santos, Tacurong, and Kidapawan.
Lacambra said the wage orders will be published in a newspaper of general circulation tomorrow, 30 September, and will take effect after 15 days.
As in any wage order, and as provided for in the National Wages and Productivity Commission Omnibus Rules on Minimum Wage Determination, retail/service establishments regularly employing not more than 10 workers, and enterprises affected by natural calamities and/or human-induced disasters, may apply to the RTWPB for exemption from the wage increase.
Barangay micro-business enterprises are not covered by the minimum wage law pursuant to Republic Act 9178 or the Barangay Micro Business Enterprises Act of 2002.
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