THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is set to begin consultations for a possible increase in the salaries of kasambahay (household service workers) in Metro Manila or the National Capital Region (NCR).
In a BusinessMirror Coffee Club Forum on Tuesday, DOLE Assistant Secretary Benjo Santos M. Benavidez said this will be part of the agenda when Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III meets with directors of Regional Tripartite Wage Boards (RTWBs).
Benavidez said Bello noticed that kasambahay wages have recently increased by around P500 to P1,000 in all regions, except for NCR. DOLE data showed the last time wages for HSW increased in Metro Manila was in December 2017 when wages grew by P1,000 to an average of P3,500 a month.
“In other regions, they continue to update the wage rate of kasambahay through the RTWBs. This time, the directive of the secretary especially to DOLE-NCR, to the RTWPB of NCR, [is to] begin, to start the review, the consultative process that in the near future, we can release a minimum- wage rate for the kasambahay,” Benavidez said.
Benavidez said the meeting next week with the regional directors also aims to get all the regional directors “on the same page” when it comes to wages, especially for domestic workers.
To date, the highest paid kasambahay are those located in cities and first-class municipalities in Region 1 or the Ilocos Region. They earn P4,500 per month on average.
This is followed by those in cities and first-class municipalities in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR); Region 3 or Central Luzon; and Region 6 or Western Visayas. They draw an average salary of P4,000 a month.
The most recent increase in wage rate was in August 2019 in Region 4B or Mimaropa where kasambahay wages increased by P1,000 to reach an average of P3,500 a month.
“The other regions have been increasing the rates on their own,” Benavidez said. “So that everyone will be on the same page, we are said to meet the regional directors next week to discuss this matter but we will also discuss other matters.”
The International Labor Organization (ILO) considers Batas Kasambahay as a landmark piece of labor and social legislation that extends labor rights, benefits, and protection to nearly 2 million domestic workers in the Philippines.
It sets minimum standards for wages, hours and days of rest, and other benefits for domestic workers. Furthermore, it extends social security, public health insurance, and home development mutual fund coverage to the sector and provides for mechanisms for quick response to abuse and accessible means to redress grievances.