NWPC affirms wage hike for Western Visayas, Negros Occidental

THE National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) has affirmed the P15 to P25 daily minimum wage increase for workers in Western Visayas, including Negros Occidental.

The hike was confirmed on Sunday, February 19, by Wennie Sancho, labor representative to the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB)-Western Visayas.

Sancho said that in a text message on Friday, the Board's Secretariat informed him that the NWPC has approved Wage Order 23 with implementing rules and regulation (IRR) already recommended for approval of Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III.

The RTWPB-Western Visayas is currently working out the publication of the new wage order, the Secretariat told Sancho.

"The publication is most likely within the week," he said, adding that the board will have a meeting in Iloilo City on February 22 to discuss the finality of the publication and effectivity of the wage increase.

The Wage Order 23 provides an additional P25 daily minimum wage increase for workers in the commercial and industrial sectors while P15, for agricultural workers.

The salary hike is higher than the P11.50 minimum daily wage increase provided by the previous wage order which expired in May last year.

Under Wage Order 22, minimum wage earners for non-agriculture, industrial, and commercial sectors currently receive P298.50 daily wage, if the company employs more than 10 workers while P256.50 for those with less than 10 employees.

For the agriculture sector, plantation and non-plantation workers earn a daily wage of P266.50 and P256.50, respectively.

The new wage order will take effect 15 days after publication thus, it will most likely be in March.

Once effective, industrial and commercial workers in the region and province will earn P281.50 to P323.50 per day while agricultural workers will get P271.50 to P281.50 daily.