MM workers get pay hike

MANILA, Philippines - The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) has approved a new wage order granting a P15 hike in the daily take-home pay of minimum wage earners in Metro Manila, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said yesterday.

The latest increase brings to P481 from P466 the daily minimum wage rate for workers in the region.

Under the new wage order, employers in Metro Manila must provide their workers, particularly minimum wage earners, additional P15 in their daily basic pay.

The new minimum wage rate will cover all minimum wage earners in the private sector in the National Capital Region regardless of their position, designation or status of employment and irrespective of method of payment.

According to DOLE, the new daily minimum wage rate will take effect by mid-April or 15 working days after the publication of the wage order in a national newspaper.

Last year, the RTWPB did not issue any wage order.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, the country’s largest labor group, said minimum wage earners in Metro Manila need at least P136 more in their current daily basic pay to live decently.