Wage hike for private sector, kasambahay in Region 9 to begin November 12

MANILA – The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) has issued salary increase orders for private sector workers and domestic workers (kasambahay), effective November 12, according to a statement released by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Tuesday.

In Wage Order No. RIX-22 dated Oct. 16, the board granted a PHP30 hike in the minimum wage of workers upon effectivity.

The second tranche of wage hike amounting to PHP13, meanwhile, would be granted to retail/service establishments employing 10 to 30 workers effective Feb. 1, 2024. It is projected that 56,848 minimum wage workers will directly benefit from the wage order.

The upward adjustments at the enterprise level resulting from the correction of wage distortion may also indirectly benefit approximately 121,490 full-time wage and salary workers earning more than the minimum wage.

The monthly wage rate for chartered cities and first-class municipalities in the region will now be PHP4,600, and PHP4,100 for other municipalities.

With the increase, the daily minimum wage is now at PHP381 for the non-agriculture sector and retail/ service establishments with 31 or more workers and PHP368 for the agriculture sector.

It explained that the new rates for workers in the private sector translate to a 9 to 13 percent increase from the prevailing daily minimum wage rates in the region and result in a comparable 23 percent increase in wage-related benefits covering 13th-month pay, service incentive leave (SIL), and social security benefits such as Social Security System (SSS), PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG.

Wage Order No. RIX-DW-04 was also issued by the wage board increasing the monthly minimum wage of kasambahay by PHP600, which is expected to benefit a total of 18,984 domestic workers – approximately 13 percent (2,491) of whom are on live-in arrangements, and 87 percent (16,493) are live-out.

The last wage orders for private establishment workers and domestic workers in the region were issued on June 1, 2022, and went into effect on June 25, 2022.