Central Luzon Workers to Benefit from Wage Hike Effective October 16

October 4, 2023October 1, 2023 Luzon Newsdesk

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) confirmed that the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) has greenlit a wage augmentation for daily wage workers in Central Luzon, following its approval by the National Wages and Productivity Board on September 26.

Starting October 16, 2023, employees in this region will benefit from an extra P40 in their daily wages, elevating the daily minimum wage for non-agricultural workers to P449 in Aurora and between P493 to P500 in Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales.

For those in the agricultural sector, daily earnings will rise from P422 to P434 in Aurora and P454 to P470 in the other six provinces; service workers in Aurora will now earn P384, and those in the remaining areas will get between P475 to P489.

This increase will be implemented 15 days post the official announcement of the approved hikes by DOLE-RTWPB on September 30.

The approval followed a series of public consultations held by RTWPB Central Luzon in every province of the region, concluding with a public hearing in Pampanga on September 4.

These consultations were initiated in response to a wage hike petition submitted by Mardwin Cabais and Analyn Marantal, representing the Central Luzon Workers for wage increase.

Starting in Pampanga on July 18, 2023, and ending in Baler, Aurora on August 31, 2023, the consultations drew a total of 483 participants, including 228 from management and 255 from labor. The public hearing on September 4 at the Heroes Hall Mini Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga, was attended by 70 management and 79 labor representatives.

These sessions were instrumental in evaluating the petition, gathering insights from employers, workers, and various stakeholders to inform the wage deliberation process.

RTWPBs are tasked with the regular review of wage rates and conducting studies to inform the establishment of minimum wage rates applicable in their respective regions, provinces, or industries.