BACOLOD CITY -- The PHP15 to PHP30 increase in the daily minimum wage in Western Visayas (Region 6) is expected to take effect on November 27.
Negrense labor leader Wennie Sancho said on Wednesday the latest wage order should be effective 15 days after publication by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB)-6.
Sancho, a workers’ representative to the board, said Wage Order No. 25 has been published on Monday. “This welcome development is a sort of an early Christmas gift for the workers as this will be included in their 13th-month pay,” he added.
Sancho said he hopes the wage increase would somehow stabilize the purchasing power of the workers, especially this Christmas season.
Approved on Oct. 22, Wage Order No. 25 provides a PHP30 increase for workers in non-agriculture, industrial, and commercial establishments employing more than 10 employees.
In this sector, the new rate is PHP395 from the previous PHP365 per day.
Employees of establishments with less than 10 workers will receive an additional PHP15 -- from PHP295 to PHP310.
For the agricultural sector, plantation workers will get a PHP20 hike -- from PHP295 to PHP315.
Sancho asked the management, if possible, not to wait for the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) to implement the latest wage order.
“The reckoning date of the implementation would still be the same. Some employers normally wait for the implementing rules. Since the date of effectivity remains the same, it will still be retroactive,” he added.
The employers’ sector has 10 days after the publication to contest the wage order or make an appeal.
Earlier, Frank Carbon, chief executive officer of Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), said the business sector is “very disappointed” with the latest wage order.
It has put the local businesses at a great disadvantage vis-à-vis multi-national companies, he added.
“Multi-national companies can afford to pay more because they also have the capacity to pay more. Also, they have the capacity to locate themselves in the best area in the city,” Carbon added. (PNA)
