Daily minimum wage of workers in Calabarzon, Davao to increase by at least P47
The daily minimum wage for workers in Region 4A will increase by P47- P97 after Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) approved the pay hike being sought by the labor sector.
The recommended pay hike is set to benefit more or less six million workers in Region 4A which covers the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon, according to Exequiel Ronnie Guzman, regional director of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 4A.
"We studied thoroughly the appropriate wage increase for workers in Calabarzon which is the fastest growing region in the country. One of the factors considered was the lost purchasing power of the workers because of the series of oil price hikes which triggered an increase in the prices of basic services and commodities," said Guzman over dzBB's Oh My Job.
Another factor, according to Guzman, was to make the minimum wage pay in Calabarzon competitive enough to have the workers stay instead of going to Metro Manila.
Aside from Calabarzon, DOLE chief information officer Rolly Francia said the RTWPB of Davao Region also approved P47 increase in daily minimum wage of all workers across all sectors.
Francia both the recommended pay hikes were approved by the two RTWPBs on Friday, June 3.
The Resolution of the RTWPBs of Calabarzon and Davao Region will be submitted to the National Wages Productivity Commission for review and approval.
Once it is approved, the pay hikes will be implemented 15 days after publication.
Guzman said the pay hike in Calabarzon will be given in two tranches--the first tranche will take effect 15 days after the publication and the second tranche will be six months later.
"By next year, we expect the entire pay hike to be in full effect," said Guzman.
Calabarzon and Davao regions were two of the regions where the daily minimum wage for workers was increased.
Metro Manila and Western Visayas were the first to announce the recommended pay hike. The P33 increase in daily minimum wage hike in Metro Manila takes effect starting June 4.