Wage board grants pay hike to Eastern Visayas workers

Manila, Philippines – The National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) reported yesterday that another regional wage board has granted a salary increase to minimum wage earners, this time in Eastern Visayas.

Ciriaco Lagunzad, NWPC executive director, said the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Eastern Visayas approved Wednesday night an additional P8 in daily basic pay and another P15 cost of living allowance (COLA) to be given in tranches.

“The RTWPB signed a new wage order integrating the existing P8 COLA into the daily minimum basic pay and provided another P15 COLA for the workers in the region,” Lagunzad disclosed.

Lagunzad said P10 of the P15 COLA would be granted to workers immediately but the balance of P5 will be given sometime in September or after three months.

The wage increase brought to P253 from the current P238 the daily minimum wage for workers in Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar, and Southern Leyte.

The regional wage board in Metro Manila granted last May 9 a P22 COLA to enable workers in the region to cope with the rising prices of commodities.

Lagunzad said the wage board in the National Capital Region has already published the new wage order and thus it is set to take effect on May 26.

“So by May 26 employers must provide their workers, particularly minimum wage earners, additional P22 COLA,” he said.

Lagunzad said employers should give the COLA even if the workers or employers would try to file a motion for reconsideration of the wage board’s decision.

The NWPC has also affirmed the declaration of the “supervening condition” in Central Luzon.

Several other wage boards have already set public hearings on pending wage petitions and are expected to come out with rulings in the coming weeks. –Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star)