DoLE OKs Zamboanga wage hike

THE National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) approved a P900 increase to the monthly minimum wage of domestic workers in the Zamboanga Peninsula, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said on Tuesday.

The Labor department said that under Wage Order No. RIX-DW-05, the new monthly minimum wage for domestic workers is set at P5,500 in chartered cities and first-class municipalities and P5,000 in other municipalities.

The order is set to take effect on April 3.

The monthly wage increase will benefit nearly 2,500 domestic workers in the region, representing 13% of all domestic workers on live-in arrangements.

Federation of Free Workers (FFW) President Jose Sonny G. Matula said that while the wage hike would help workers, they highlight wage discrimination against workers in the province.

He noted that while this development is welcome, the group is still pushing for the passage of a P200 legislated minimum wage increase, currently pending in the Senate after the House of Representatives passed the bill last January.

Minimum wages in the Southeast Asian nation are set by regional wage boards. However, slow and meager increases amid rising prices have prompted lawmakers to push for the legislated wage increase. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana