Domestic workers, or kasambahays, in Calabarzon are set to receive a large boost in their salaries starting this March.
In a recent wage order released by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) Calabarzon, domestic workers across the region will see a salary increase ranging from ₱750 to ₱1,750 effective March 7.
Specifically, the minimum monthly salary for domestic workers in cities and first-class municipalities will increase from ₱6,000 to ₱6,750, while those in other municipalities who previously earned ₱5,000 per month will now receive a minimum of ₱6,750.
The Wage Board Calabarzon stated that the increase was determined after a series of consultations and a review of socioeconomic factors.
“After a thorough review and evaluation of the results of the consultation and public hearing, existing socio-economic conditions in the region, the needs of the domestic workers and their families, as well as the employers’ capacity to pay, the Board deemed it necessary to increase the prevailing minimum wage rates for domestic workers in the region,” the board stated.
The new wage order applies to all domestic workers, whether in live-in or live-out arrangements, including but not limited to house helpers, nannies (yaya), cooks, gardeners, laundry personnel, and any worker regularly performing domestic duties in a household.
The RTWPB IV-A emphasized that wages must be paid in cash at least once a month, with no deductions except those mandated by law.
Additionally, to further improve productivity, household employers and their domestic workers may voluntarily and mutually agree to implement a competency-based pay scheme, allowing for salary adjustments above the applicable minimum wage.
The wage board encourages household employers to comply with the newly prescribed minimum wage, citing implications enumerated under the Republic Act 10361 or the Domestic Workers Act.
The new wage order came after a series of hearings conducted by the RTWPB in various parts of the region, as domestic helpers sought for higher wages amid the steep cost of basic goods and services even as the country's headline inflation rate stabilized to 2.9 percent last January.
It should also be noted that the new wage order "equalized" rates among domestic helpers across the region, which is expected to reduce instances of workers seeking higher wages having to go to Metro Manila or more progressive cities to look for jobs.
(With report from PIA)
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