Zamboanga board approves P20 minimum wage hike

THE ZAMBOANGA Peninsula Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB-9) has approved a P20.00 minimum wage hike for all industries. Ofelia B. Domingo, RTWPB-9 chair and also the regional director of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), announced that Wage Order RIX-20 has been submitted for final approval by the National Wages and Productivity Commission. “We have deliberated based on the adopted formula and the consumer price index,” Ms. Domingo said. She explained that the adopted formula was anchored on the poverty threshold, poverty index, and the value of the peso against the US dollar. The current minimum wages for the city are P296.00 for non-agricultural businesses with more than 30 workers, and P271.00 for all other sectors. The RTWPB-9 earlier conducted a series of consultations in different parts of the region for a possible increase in minimum wage rates in view of the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law beginning this year. The last wage adjustment in the region took effect on Oct. 1, 2017, based on Wage Order No. RIX-19 issued on Aug. 15, 2016. —