Caraga workers get P20 daily wage hike
SAN FRANCISCO, AGUSAN DEL SUR—Minimum wage earners in the Caraga region have started getting a P20 daily pay hike since Jan. 3 this year as the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) and the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) rolled out the first tranche of a two-step wage adjustment for private sector workers in the region.
The increase raised the region’s minimum daily wage from P435 to P455, with a second P20 tranche set to kick in on May 1 this year, bringing the minimum in the region to P475, in time for Labor Day.
At a press briefing on Jan. 9, Earl dela Victoria, secretary of the RTWPB Caraga Board, said the adjustment went through a series of studies, deliberation and public consultations.
He said the wage setting was meant to strike a balance between labor welfare and employers’ capacity to pay.
For workers, the bump translates to a modest but immediate cushion: P20 more per day is roughly P520 more a month for a 26-day work month, while the full two-tranche P40 increase would amount to about P1,040 monthly once the May tranche takes effect.
According to Dole, the wage order covers workers in private companies across nonagriculture, agriculture, service, retail and manufacturing sectors.
Key cities
The pay increases also cover the region’s key cities and provinces, including Butuan, Bayugan, Bislig, Cabadbaran, Surigao and Tandag, as well as Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Islands.
Separately, ‘kasambahays’ or domestic workers in Caraga will receive a P500 monthly increase, raising the minimum from P6,000 to P6,500, also to take effect on Jan. 3 this year.
Lawyer Jason Balais, Dole regional director, urged employers to comply with the latest wage order, saying that fair pay often improves the morale and productivity of workers.
He said Dole would continue to enforce labor standards through routine inspections and would inspect company premises when there were complaints.
Balais also asked the public to report violations through the Dole field offices, hotline numbers or official social media channels.
