WV workers get P40-P45 wage hike

ILOILO CITY — Minimum-wage workers in Western Visayas are expected to receive a daily increase of P40 to P45 after the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-6 (RTWPB) approved the adjustment on 21 October.

RTWPB-6 chairperson and Department of Labor and Employment-6 regional director Sixto Rodriguez Jr. confirmed the approval in an interview with Radyo Pilipinas Iloilo. The board met after holding its final public hearing on Boracay Island on 20 October.

Under the approved adjustment, workers in the non-agriculture, industrial and commercial sectors at establishments with more than 10 employees will receive an additional P40, raising the daily minimum wage from P550 to P590.

Workers at establishments with 10 or fewer employees will also get a P40 increase, bringing their daily minimum wage from P525 to P565.

Agricultural workers will receive a P45 increase, raising their daily minimum wage from P520 to P565.

Rodriguez said the higher adjustment for agricultural workers takes into account the impact of red-striped soft scale insect infestation on the sector.

The new rates are expected to take effect in November and will cover workers across Western Visayas, including Negros Occidental.

The adjustment is intended to provide workers with additional income amid rising living costs and economic pressures.