CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-Central Luzon (RTWPB-3) is set to conduct public consultations to discuss a salary hike for minimum wage earners in Central Luzon. RTWPB 3 OIC-Board Secretary Kenneth D. Liza said on Thursday the move aims to hear the views of all stakeholders on the need for an adjustment in the prevailing minimum wage in the region. Liza said the RTWPB has received one petition for a salary hike for minimum wage earners in the private sector. The petitioner, a federation of local unions in the regions, has been asking for a PHP1,100 wage increase. ‘We received a petition for minimum wage increase last June 13 from a federation of the local unions in Central Luzon wherein their petition was coursed through the Central Luzon Workers for Wage Increase. Ang hinihingi nila ay minimum wage hike na (they are asking a minimum wage hike) of PHP1,100 per day in Region 3,’ he said. Liza assured the wage earners that they would hear the petition sooner. ‘Antabay lang po ang ating mga stakeholders, kapag kami po ay magka-conduct na ng public consultations, maglalabas po kami ng advisory para makadalo sila (To our stakeholders, please standby. When we are about to start the conduct of public consultations, we will issue an advisory so that they can attend),’ Liza said in an interview. He said the wage board would go to all seven provinces in the region to get the sentiments and positions of the workers, employers, and other stakeholders on wage hike adjustment. ‘Kami na ang lumalapit sa kanila (we are the ones reaching out them) to hear their sides,’ he said. Liza said after the public consultations, the wage board would then deliberate and decide on the wage hike adjustment, taking into consideration the needs of the workers and their families, the capacity of employers to pay, and the existing socio-economic condition in the region. The last wage order in the region was issued in June 2022 under Wage Order No. RBIII-23, mandating a PHP40 increase in the daily minimum wage of workers in private establishments in the region. The PHP40 increase was given in two tranches where the first PHP30 was upon the effectivity of the wage order in June 2022 and the remaining PHP10 was given last January. Under the prevailing order, minimum earners in Central Luzon in the non-agriculture category and establishments with more than 10 workers receive a PHP460 basic pay per day. Employees working in the non-agriculture category and establishments with less than 10 workers have a PHP453 basic pay per day. Under the agriculture category, the prevailing wages for plantation and non-plantation workers are PHP430 and PHP414, respectively. For the retail or service category, the daily minimum wage in establishments with 10 or more workers is PHP449, and PHP435 in establishments with less than 10 workers. This prevailing salary applies to minimum wage earners in the provinces of Pampanga, Tarlac, Bulacan, Zambales, Bataan and Nueva Ecija. For the province of Aurora, the daily minimum wage rate for the non-agriculture category is PHP409. The daily minimum wage for plantation workers in agriculture establishments is PHP394 and PHP382 for non-plantation workers. Meanwhile, workers in retail and service establishments have a daily minimum wage of PHP344. (PNA)
Source: Philippines News Agency