Wage board assures Region 8 workers of pay hike

TACLOBAN CITY, Oct. 24 (PNA) –- The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) will surely raise the minimum daily pay of Eastern Visayas workers in the private sector, a top official confirmed.

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Regional Director Elias Cayanong, RTWPB Eastern Visayas chairman said the board will come up with specifics of new wage order by the end of November.

The wage body initially agreed to adjust daily wages, but they still have to finalize the amount and date of implementation.

“We have to go on a win-win situation. There is improvement of our economy and let us give it back to workers as agreed upon by the board,” Cayanong said.

The board earlier initiated consultations in Ormoc City for participants from western part of Leyte and Southern Leyte province. Another venue was in Catbalogan City in Samar for stakeholders in Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, and Samar provinces.

To wrap up the consultations, the board held a public hearing on Oct. 12 at the Ritz Tower de Leyte, this city to solicit the stand of the public on the wage issue.

The hearing is said to be the last step before the board sits in to deliberate for wage adjustment.

On March 30, 2015, under Wage Order No. 18, the wage body raised the take-home pay of workers by integrating part of the cost-of-living allowance (COLA) into the basic wage in all sectors except the sugar industry.

For the sugar industry, the RTWPB granted an increase of PHP14.50 to bring the daily minimum wage to PHP235-PHP262 from the lowest PHP221. In Eastern Visayas, a family of five needs PHP235 daily to sustain their basic needs.

Wage Order No. 18 added the PHP15 COLA to the basic wage, raising it to PHP253 a day for non-agriculture workers, PHP231 for the cottage/handicraft sector, P228 for retail/service employees, and P234 for the non-sugar agriculture sector.

The PHP15 COLA was granted under Wage Order No. 16 issued in May 2011.

The RTWPB, as mandated by Republic Act No. 6727, or the Wage Rationalization Act, periodically assesses wage rates and conduct continuing studies in the determination of the minimum wage applicable in a region or industry. (PNA)
LAP/SARWELL Q. MENIANO