Central Visayas minimum wage hike takes effect

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) reminded employers in the Central Visayas region that mandatory minimum wage increases take effect Wednesday.

“Employers in Central Visayas are reminded to comply with the prescribed minimum wage rates and ensure that the pay of their workers is correct and in accordance with the law,” the department said in a statement.

The National Wages and Productivity Commission approved two wage orders last month imposing wage hikes across Region 7, which comprises the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor.

Under Wage Order No. ROVII-27, workers in Class A geographical areas will receive a daily minimum wage of P582.

The Class A designation covers the cities of Carcar, Cebu, Danao, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Naga and Talisay, as well as the municipalities of Compostela, Consolacion, Cordova, Liloan, Minglanilla, San Fernando and Expanded Metro Cebu.

Workers in Class B cities and municipalities will receive a daily minimum wage of P542.

A separate order, Wage Order No. ROVII-DW-06, sets the minimum monthly pay for domestic workers, or kasambahays, at P7,500 across the region.

Labor officials also noted that wage increases for Region 4-A — comprising Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon — were approved over the weekend by the National Wages and Productivity Commission and the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-Region 4A.

The Calabarzon wage increase is scheduled to take effect 26 October.

Under the Calabarzon order, workers will receive an additional P1,170 on top of their monthly wage, while domestic helpers will receive a minimum monthly pay of at least P7,500.

The department noted that approximately 1.5 million minimum wage earners and 201,000 domestic helpers in Calabarzon will benefit from the wage increase.