Metro Manila wage board approves P60 daily pay hike

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-National Capital Region (RTWPB-NCR) has approved a new wage order granting a P60 daily increase for private sector workers in Metro Manila. Known as Wage Order No. 28, the proposal has been forwarded to the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) for confirmation. If affirmed, the increase could be published around September 11 and take effect by late September.

This new order follows a legal complication regarding a previous mandate, Wage Order No. 27, which proposed a larger P85 increase. Implementation of the P85 hike was halted by a temporary restraining order from a Pasig City Regional Trial Court. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) clarified that the P60 increase is not a deduction from the previously proposed P85 hike.

Senator Joel Villanueva has criticized the issuance of a second wage order, arguing that the DOLE should instead focus on implementing the original P85 increase. Villanueva noted that under the Labor Code, injunctions should not be issued against wage orders and expressed concern that the conflicting orders are causing confusion among workers facing rising costs.