Central Visayas Wage Board Approves Wage Hike

The Department of Labor and Employment 7 (DOLE 7) Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board has approved the minimum wage increase of P33 on September 5, 2023.

The wage board in Central Visayas has issued Wage Order No. ROVII-24 increasing the minimum wage in the region.

Class C areas will now receive P420 for Non-Agriculture Establishments and P415 for Agriculture and Non-Agriculture Establishments with Less Than 10 Workers.

For Class B areas Non-Agriculture Establishment workers will now receive a minimum wage of P430 while Agriculture and Non-Agriculture Establishments with Less Than 10 Workers will receive a minimum wage of P425.

Meanwhile, for Class A Non-Agriculture Establishment workers will now receive P468 as minimum wage, and Agriculture and Non-Agriculture Establishments with Less Than 10 Workers will have a P458 minimum wage.

“The increase, which considered the various wage determination criteria provided under Republic Act No. 6727 or the Wage Rationalization Act, resulted from several petitions filed by various labor groups seeking an increase in the daily minimum wage due to escalating prices of basic goods and commodities. The Board, comprised of representatives from the government, management, and labor sectors, conducted public hearings last July 10 in Northern Cebu, July 26 in Metro Cebu, August 01 in Southern Cebu, August 10 in Bohol, and August 11 in Dumaguete, and wage deliberations on August 29, September 02, and September 05, 2023,” DOLE said in a press release.

According to DOLE, the new rate is a 7.6% to 8.6% increase from the previous minimum wage rates in Central Visayas.

“The new rates translate to a 7.6%-8.6% increase from the prevailing daily minimum wage rates in the region and result in a comparable 23% increase in wage-related benefits covering 13th-month pay, service incentive leave (SIL), and social security benefits such as SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG,” DOLE said. (ASC)