The National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) on 22 November 2024 unanimously affirmed Wage Order No. RBIX-23 issued by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) IX, increasing the daily minimum wage for private sector workers in the Zamboanga Peninsula by 33 pesos. The new wage order is slated to take effect on 12 December 2024. It will increase the daily minimum wage in the region from P381 to P414 in the non-agriculture sector including service and retail establishments employing 10 or more workers, and from P368 to P401 in the agriculture sector including service and retail establishments employing 1 to 9 workers.

In affirming the wage order, the NWPC found that RTWPB IX complied with the criteria for determining a wage increase under Republic Act No. 6727, which include the needs of workers and their families, capacity of employers/industry to pay, and the requirements of economic and social development in the region.

The wage order is expected to directly benefit 95,990 minimum wage earners in the region. About 129,607 full-time wage and salary workers earning above the minimum wage may also indirectly benefit as a result of upward adjustments at the enterprise level arising from the correction of wage distortion.

Related to this, the NWPC has instructed RTWPB IX to undertake information campaigns to ensure compliance and provide assistance to enterprises in correcting possible wage distortions pursuant to NWPC Advisory No. 01, Series of 2023. The Board was likewise ordered to implement productivity improvement programs and gainsharing schemes to support wage growth, especially in areas that may have low productivity.

As in any wage order, and as provided for in the NWPC Omnibus Rules on Minimum Wage Determination, retail/service establishments regularly employing not more than ten (10) workers, and enterprises affected by natural calamities and/or human-induced disasters may apply to the RTWPB for exemption from the wage increase. Registered Barangay Micro Business Enterprises (BMBEs) are not covered by the minimum wage law pursuant to Republic Act No. 9178 [2002]. For exemption applications and further clarifications on the wage order, the RTWPB may be reached through its email address rb9@produktiboatsahod.onmicrosoft.com.

As of date, ten (10) wage orders have been issued for private sector workers in Regions NCR, I, II, III, IVA, VI, VII, VIII, IX and XII. Additionally, four (4) wage orders have been issued for domestic workers in Regions I, II, VI and VIII. All these wage orders were initiated motu proprio.

For the other remaining regions, RTWPBs CAR and IV-B are in the final stages of their minimum wage determination process. RTWPBs X and XIII began their minimum wage determination process this November 2024, while RTWPB XI is scheduled to commence in January 2025. Meanwhile, RTWPB-V has decided to defer the wage determination process in the region due to the destructive impact of Super Typhoon Kristine and shall continue to closely monitor and assess the ongoing recovery and conditions in the region within the next three (3) months.