Metro Manila Minimum Wage Increased by P15.00 Per Day

Workers in Metro Manila will get a pay increase as the minimum wage earners in Metro Manila will get an increase of P15.00 a day added to their daily pay after the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) approved the proposal for an increase, according to Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Metro Manila worker

According to DOLE close to 600,000 minimum wage earners in Metro Manila will get an additional P15.00 increase. The increase brings to P481 fromP466 daily minimum wage rate for workers in the National Capital Region. Workers in Metro Manila has the highest minimum wage earners among the 17 regions in the country.

The wage increase in Metro Manila will take effect 15 days after its publication in the country’s major dailies. Although the minimum wage in Metro Manila has been raised to P481 for workers in the non agricultural sector, workers in the agricultural sector will get a daily pay of just P444.00.

DOLE also noted that in issuing the new wage increase, the RTWPB-composed of representatives of labor and management, and the government-took into consideration several factors. These included the erosion of the minimum wage, inflation rate, possible impact of the wage adjustment on prices and on employment, employer’s ability to pay, and the results of its public hearings.

After the DOLE released the approval of the P15.00 increase, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said the increase was unacceptable. According to the group, the said amount was revolting and they noted that rather than closing the gap between rich and poor, government officials on the board have further widened the gaping inequality among Filipinos.

The TUCP also cited government data that the real value of the current P466 minimum daily wage was P356.64 or P7,486 a month – short oft the poverty threshold of P8,778 a month in 2014 for a family of five.

It was the TUCP that filed a petition seeking a P136-across-the-board daily wage increase early this month. In November last year, the Association of Minimum Wage Earners and Advocates filed a petition seeking a P146.80 across-the-board daily wage increase.

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