The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-Regional Board VI-Western Visayas (RTWPB-VI) has already released the new Wage Order No. RB VI-15 to granting a PHP10.00-15.00 wage hike for minimum wage earners in Western Visayas, particularly Malay Municipality which includes Boracay.
This increase is the first part of a 3-step wage increase which took effect September 12, 2007. The second-step increase will be implemented on May 1, 2008, and the final and 3rd step increase to take effect in September 16, 2008. The RB VI-15 will also implement a new categorization for business and industries starting September 16, 2008. Business and establishments will then just fall under 2 sectors: Agricultural and Non-Agricultural. For the Non-Agricultural sector there will also be only 2 sub-categories: business employing more than 10 workers and those employing less than 10 workers.
Prior to the decision of the RTWPB-VI, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines submitted a petition for a PHP 75.00 wage hike increase for Western Visayas. A series of public hearings all over Western Visayas were also conducted to hear the sides of management and labor. At the hearing held here in Boracay last July 12, BCCI submitted its position on the wage hike including a petition to conduct a study to make Boracay a special wage zone apart from the region and consider as well the conditions business owners experience. Other private groups also aired their side citing their reasons not to approve the petition. Generally speaking, most of the business are only willing to provide PHP10-25 increase for their workers given the seasonality of the tourism industry in the island. Management was also amenable to non-cash components in compensation in order to alleviate the poor living conditions of workers and employees in Boracay.
