TACLOBAN CITY, Nov. 21 (PNA) -– The Regional Tripartite and Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) has approved a daily salary raise ranging from P10 to P25 for private sector workers in Eastern Visayas, an official announced on Monday.
RTWPB Eastern Visayas Secretary Reynaldo Soliveres said that unlike in the previous years, the new adjustment varies on the size of business and not based on industry.
“For those with 10 regular employees and below, the increase is PHP10. For firms with 11 to 50 regular workers, employers are mandated to provide P15 increase. Those enterprises with 51 or more workers, the daily pay adjustment is P25,” Soliveres explained.
The wage body will convene this week to draft the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the new wage order, which is expected to take effect in the 3rd or 4th week of December, according to the board official.
Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III is expected to sign the IRR, but the new wage order can take effect ahead of IRR signing.
The board unanimously approved the adjustment during its meeting on Nov. 16, held after a series of hearings and consultations in different provinces of the region.
“The increase is still subject to the review of the Commission to ensure that all processes, legal procedures are followed,” Soliveres added.
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 P14.50 to bring the daily minimum wage to P235-P262 from the lowest P221. In Eastern Visayas, a family of five needs about P300 daily to sustain their basic needs
Wage Order No. 18 added the P15 COLA to the basic wage, raising it to P253 a day for non-agriculture workers, P231 for the cottage/handicraft sector, P228 for retail/service employees, and P234 for the non-sugar agriculture sector. The P15 COLA was granted under Wage Order No. 16 issued in May 2011. (PNA)
SARWELL Q. MENIANO
