Soccsksargen workers get P41 in daily pay hike

MANILA, Philippines — Minimum wage earners in Soccsksargen will receive an increase of P41 in their daily pay after the National Wages and Productivity Commission approved their wage hike petition.

Based on Wage Order 1226, the pay hike will be implemented in two tranches, benefitting 86,815 minimum wage earners in the region, according to the Department of Labor and Employment.

The first tranche of P16 will be implemented 15 days after the wage order’s publication in a major newspaper, while the remaining P25 will be implemented in January.

Once fully implemented, the minimum daily wage for workers in the non-agriculture, retail and service sectors will increase from P460 to P501.

Workers in the agriculture sector will receive P484 in daily pay from P443 previously.

The new rates will translate to a monthly minimum pay of P13,068 and P12,624 for workers in the non-agriculture and agriculture sectors, respectively.

Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino said the pay hike covers domestic workers or kasambahay, who will receive an increase of P450 in their monthly pay.

From P6,000 previously, the minimum monthly salary of household workers in the region will become P6,450.

Tolentino said the wage adjustment is in line with a directive of President Marcos to improve workers’ earnings.

In determining the increase, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board considered the workers’ needs and the capacity of business owners – particularly micro, small and medium enterprises – to pay.

Employers have been directed to comply with the approved wage order, while workers were informed of their rights under existing labor laws.