CITY OF SAN FERNANDO---The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced yesterday that the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) has approved the increase of daily wage earners in Central Luzon after it passed the National Wages and Productivity Board last September 26.
Effective October 16, 2023, workers in Central Luzon will get an additional P40, bringing the daily minimum wage rate for non-agriculture employees to P449 in Aurora province and P493 to P500 in Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales.
Workers in the agriculture sector, meanwhile, will see an increment in their daily wages from P422 to P434 in Aurora and P454 to P470 for the other six provinces, while those in service establishments in Aurora will receive P384 and P475 to P489 in the rest of the region.
The wage hike will take effect 15 days after DOLE-RTWPB publishes the official approved increases on September 30.
The RTWPB Central Luzon culminated its series of public consultations across all provinces in the region following the public hearing in Pampanga on September 4.
The RTWPB conducted the public consultations across all provinces in Central Luzon in response to a wage increase petition filed by Mardwin Cabais and Analyn Marantal of Central Luzon Workers for wage increase.
The public consultations began on July 18, 2023 in Pampanga and concluded on August 31, 2023 in Baler, Aurora. In total, 483 attendees participated, with 228 from the management sector and 255 from the labor sector. The public hearing held on September 4, 2023 at the Heroes Hall Mini Convention Center in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga was attended by 70 representatives from the management sector and 79 representatives from the labor sector.
The consultations assessed the merits of the petition from the perspectives of employers, workers, and various stakeholders. The information gathered, along with the inputs provided during presentations by different stakeholders, will be carefully considered during the wage deliberation process.
RTWPBs are legally mandated to periodically assess wage rates and conduct ongoing studies that serve as inputs for the determination of minimum wage rates, as may be applicable in the region, its province, or industry.
