ILOILO City – Will there be a wage increase for private sector employees in Western Visayas this year?
The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) is set to convene to review the current minimum wage rates for private sector employees.
According to Atty. Sixto Rodriguez Jr., director of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region 6 and chairperson of the RTWPB, the board’s action follows an order from President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. during the 2024 Labor Day celebration for all RTWPBs to review minimum wage rates in their respective regions.
The President gave the RTWPBs 60 days prior to the expiration or cooling-off period of the current Wage Order RBVI-27, set to expire on November 16, 2024, to convene.
“We’ll see if we’re the ones to issue the wage order, how much of an increase is necessary,” Rodriguez told Panay News.
RTWPB members will meet this September 2024.
Initially, this Tuesday, June 18, as part of their regular meeting, the RTWPB will discuss how to approach the review of the minimum wage rates in September 2024 and what data will be necessary.
RTWPB members who will convene include Rodriguez as chairman; Rachel Nufable, regional director of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 6; and Engr. Arecio Casing Jr., regional director of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Region 6 as vice chairpersons; along with two representatives each from the labor and employer sectors.
Rodriguez explained that the President’s order to review minimum wage rates nationwide follows the pending Senate Bill No. 2534, which proposes a P100 per day increase in the daily minimum wage for private sectors across the country.
The bill has been approved on third and final reading in the Senate and awaits passage in the House of Representatives before being sent to the President for signing.
“Because of this, we need to sit down and see how we can address the public call and if the RTWPB is capable of issuing a new wage order,” Rodriguez said.
For RTWPB, the factors to consider in deciding whether to issue a new wage order this year include immediate demands from workers, the socioeconomic status of the region, the employers’ capacity to pay, and conducting public consultations to capture sentiments from both parties.
As of now, RTWPB has not received any petition for a wage hike from labor groups, and even if they receive one this month, they will not open it until one year after the effect of Wage Order RBVI-27, which will mark its anniversary on November 16, 2024.
Nevertheless, the RTWPB will comply with the President’s order to review the minimum wage rate in the region.
Rodriguez said employers in the private sector are compliant with Wage Order RBVI-27.
Under this wage order, the minimum daily wage rates in Western Visayas for non-agriculture/industrial/commercial are the following:
* Employing more than 10 workers – P480
* Employing 10 workers or less – P450
For agriculture, it is P440./PN
