Minimum wage to go up in SOCCSKSARGEN in November

MANILA, October 26 ------ Minimum wage earners in the SOCCSKSARGEN region will get an increase in November, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced.

The minimum hourly rate for non-agriculture and retail, and service sectors in Cotabato, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and General Santos City will increase by P30, bringing the minimum wage to P460 a day or P11,998 per month upon full implementation of all tranches. The minimum rate for the agriculture sector will increase by P33, translating to a P443 daily rate or P11,555 per month, upon full implementation of all tranches.

DOLE said around 21,000 minimum wage earners in the region will benefit from the increase. It will also adjust the wage of about 144,000 full-time wage and salary workers earning above minimum wage due to the correction of wage distortion. Aside from this, domestic workers in the region will also receive a single monthly minimum wage of P6,000, said the government agency. This covers 26,688 domestic workers, 44 percent of whom or 11,646 individuals in live-in arrangements.

The wage adjustments will take effect on Nov. 2, 15 days after the publication of Wage Order Nos. RB XII-25 and RB XII-DW-05 on Oct. 17. Before SOCCSKSARGEN, the minimum wage and rate for domestic workers were also increased in Central Luzon. In June this year, the regional wage board also increased the minimum rate in the National Capital Region by P50. A nationwide increase in minimum wage has long been called for Congress but always to no action.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com