The implementation of the ₱85 minimum wage increase in the National Capital Region (NCR) has been suspended after the Pasig Regional Trial Court issued a status quo ante order, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said.
DOLE confirmed it would comply with the court’s directive, despite expressing disappointment for workers who had been expecting the wage increase.
The order, signed by Pasig RTC Executive Judge Achilles Bunauitan on July 24, directed authorities to maintain the existing minimum wage rates while the petition challenging the wage order is being heard.
The court issued the directive one day before the scheduled implementation of the new wage order on July 25.
As a result, the daily minimum wage in Metro Manila will remain at ₱695 while the case is pending before the court.
According to DOLE Acting Secretary Francis Tolentino, the agency will respect and follow the court’s order even though the suspension is disappointing for workers awaiting higher pay.
Before the court order was issued, Wage Order No. NCR-27 provided for the first tranche of the ₱85 wage increase to take effect on July 25.
Under the wage order, the daily minimum wage for workers in the non-agriculture sector would have increased from ₱695 to ₱755, while the minimum wage for workers in the agriculture sector, service and retail establishments with 15 or fewer employees, and manufacturing firms with fewer than 10 regular workers would have increased from ₱658 to ₱718.
The implementation of the wage increase will remain on hold until the court resolves the petition.
