MINIMUM-wage earners in the Ilocos region will get a P13 to P30 daily pay hike starting this week.
In a statement, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Wage Order RB 1-19 issued by the wage boards will finally take effect on Thursday.
Under the new wage order, the following minimum-wage rate will apply for workers in the nonagriculture sector: P310 (large and commercial fishing); P285 (medium enterprise); P265 (small enterprise); and P256 (micro enterprise).
For the agriculture sector, workers in plantations will be entitled to P265, while those in nonplantation agriculture establishments will get P256.
Wage Order RB 1-19 was issued by Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board Region 1 (RTWPB 1) on November 24, 2017, but was only published on January 10, 2018.
It takes 15 days before a published wage order takes effect.
RTWPB-1 Chairman and DOLE Region 1 Director Nathaniel Lacambra said they issued the new wage order to allow workers within their jurisdiction to cope with their rising cost of living.
He added it will apply to “all workers or employees in the private sector receiving the minimum-wage rates irrespective of their positions, designations or status of employment and regardless of the method by which their wages are paid.”
Lacamabra clarified it will not cover kasambahay or domestic workers; persons employed in the personal service of another including family drivers; and workers and employees of registered Barangay Micro Business Enterprises.