Regional wage boards expected to issue wage orders before year-end —DOLE

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is expecting all Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPB) across the country to finish their review of minimum wage rates in their respective areas before the end of the year.

DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma on Wednesday reiterated that the RTWPB-NCR has completed the review of its wage order while the Region IV-A wage board has nearly finished the review process.

Meanwhile, the RTWPBs of Regions II, VII, and XII started the review in August and are on track for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive for the wage boards to initiate the reviews within 60 days before the anniversary of their latest wage orders.

“Ito pong Setyembre, magsisimula ang proseso sa Regions I, VI, and IX. Sa susunod na buwan, susunod ang Cordillera Administrative Region, Region IV-B, and then Region V and Region VIII,” Laguesma told reporters in a media briefing.

(This September, Regions I, VI, nd IX will start their review while the Cordillera Administrative Region, Region IV-B, and then Region V and Region VIII will follow next month.)

“Sa November na ang pinakahuling regions: X, and XIII. We expected na within the year, matatapos ang lahat ng regions sa kanilang proseso na magkaroon ng karampatang wage order ang bawat RTWPB,” he added.

(By November, the last remaining regions, X and XIII, will start the review. We expect that within the year, all regions will complete their process and issue their respective wage orders, as each RTWPB requires.)

In May, Laguesma said several regional wage boards in the country including the RTWPB-NCR will soon begin the review after Marcos ordered a review of the minimum wage rates in every region.

The RTWPB approved a P35 hike in the daily minimum wage of NCR in July, increasing it from P610 to P645 for the non-agriculture sector. —KG, GMA Integrated News