‘Kasambahay’ in Region 9 to get P500 to P1K monthly pay hike

Nearly 19,000 domestic workers or “kasambahay” in Zamboanga Peninsula will see their monthly minimum wage go up by P500 or P1,000 starting on May 20 following the issuance of a new wage order, the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) said on Wednesday.

In a statement, Dole said the Zamboanga Peninsula Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB-IX) issued Wage Order No. RIX-DW-06 on April 16 that applies to all domestic workers, whether on a live-in or live-out arrangement.

It will take effect on May 20 or 15 days after the order was published.

Under the new rates, the monthly minimum wage of domestic workers in chartered cities and first-class municipalities in Zamboanga Peninsula will increase from P5,500 to P6,000.

For those in first-class municipalities within Sulu, it will go up from P5,000 to P6,000 per month, and from P5,000 to P5,500 for domestic workers in other municipalities in the province.

Nearly 19k beneficiaries

According to Dole, the higher wage rates will benefit 18,984 domestic workers in the Zamboanga Peninsula. Around 2,491 of them or 13 percent have a live-in arrangement with their employer.

The last wage order for domestic workers in the region was issued on March 18 last year and took effect weeks later on April 3.

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Dole said the new wage order was issued after the RTWPB-IX conducted a public hearing and surveys involving domestic workers and other groups.

It added that other considerations were the “needs of domestic workers and their families, the employers’ capacity to pay, and the existing socio-economic conditions in the region.”

In the meantime, Dole said the RTWPB-IX will be conducting an information campaign in the region to ensure compliance with the new wage order.