COTABATO CITY – The Bangsamoro Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board of the Ministry of Labor and Employment has convened its first meeting for the fiscal year 2023 on Monday, Feb. 27, at the Conference Room, MOLE Office, in this city.
During the meeting, the wage board chaired by Minister Muslimin G. Sema, discussed the results of the series of public consultation on minimum wage fixing, including minimum wage for kasambahay (domestic workers).
As Minister Sema recalled, the said consultations were held during the last quarter of 2022 throughout the region to gather inputs from the stakeholders and other social partners.
He said the results of the pubcon and feedbacks from the stakeholders will determine whether the wage board shall issue new minimum wage in the region or consider another round of pubcon before the board shall issue.
On the matter concerning kasambahay minimum wage, Sema recommended the wage board to revisit the data gathered from the benchmarking activity conducted last August 2022 in Region XII.
“We can compare, deliberate, discuss and agree on what is best to our Bangsamoro constituents, particularly the workers in different enterprises including the kasambahay,” the Minister said.
During the deliberation, the wage board has agreed to set the minimum wage on status quo.
“The board still has time to deliberate further the minimum wage for regular workers, because the last increase was effective last July 2022, which less than a year from now,” Atty. Anwar Malang, management representative, said.
Apart from this, the board is yet to issue minimum wage for kasambahay, however, considers more exploration and deliberation in order to set appropriate minimum wage for kasambahay in the region.
Meanwhile, the board has adopted the proposed MOLE Kasmabahay Module, which was presented by Bailyn E. Nanding, Board Secretary VI.
The module, which includes the salient points of the RA 10361 known as the Kasambahay Law, will be used by the BTWPB on its advocacy to empower and educate, and increase productivity of kasambahay in the region through the MOLE Lingkod Kasambahay Program. (MOLE-ICD)