• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Western Visayas will hold a public hearing on minimum wage adjustment for private sector workers and kasambahays in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental on Oct. 21.
To be held at the Social Hall of the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod, the hearing in the morning will be for kasambahays, or domestic workers, and for private establishment employees in the afternoon.
The hearing for stakeholders in Iloilo City, and the provinces of Iloilo, Aklan, Capiz, Antique, and Guimaras, is scheduled on Oct. 10 in Iloilo City, the RTWPB6 said.
“The proceedings aim to gather vital inputs from concerned stakeholders, both labor and management, to aid the Wage Board in determining the propriety of issuing a wage adjustment in Western Visayas,” it added.
The RTWPB already held a series of consultations with labor and management groups across the region the past days to discuss at the grassroots level wages, incomes, and productivity concerns, the Department of Labor and Employment said in a statement.
For Negros Occidental, the consultation was held in Victorias City Sept. 24, spearheaded by RTWPB6 chairperson, Atty. Sixto Rodriguez Jr., who is also the DOLE6 regional director.
The separate sessions with the management and labor groups aimed to gather insights to determine the propriety of adjusting the minimum wage rates in Western Visayas, Rodriquez said, adding these include inputs on socio-economic conditions that would aid the RTWPB “in the fair and equitable adjustment of minimum wage rates in the region”.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed the RTWPBs nationwide on Labor Day to review the minimum wage rates in their respective regions, and to consider prevailing economic complexities, such as inflation, in the assessment.
“I call on the RTWPBs to initiate a timely review of the minimum wage rates in their respective regions, with due consideration to the impact of inflation, among others, within 60 days prior to the anniversary of their latest wage order,” Marcos had said.
In Western Visayas, the last wage adjustment took effect Nov. 16, 2023.
Private sector employees, including in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental, received a P30 increase in their daily minimum wage, or P480 for non-agriculture/industrial/commercial establishments; P450 for businesses with 10 or less employees; and P440 in the agriculture sector.
The minimum salary of kasambahays also increased to P5,000 a month. | CGC
