Nationwide protest set over pay standardization

MANILA, Philippines – Government employees are gearing up for a nationwide mass action to dramatize their protest against the Aquino government’s failure to provide them decent wages.

Ferdinand Gaite, Confederation for Unity Advancement and Recognition of Government Employees (Courage) president, said thousands of public employees, including health workers and teachers, would rally on Feb. 16, a day they marked as Black Hearts Day, to denounce the fourth version of the Salary Standardization Law (SSL4).

But Palace communications secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said there is still a chance the expected first tranche of salary increases can be given this year as the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) already prepared its recommendation to President Aquino.

The increase was stalled after the Senate and the House bicameral committee remained deadlocked until Congress adjourned Wednesday.

Alliance of Concerned Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio also lashed out at Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, blaming him for the failure of Congress to approve SSL4, which contains the planned salary increase for government personnel.

He added that Trillanes left for the US “in the midst of a deadlock between the chambers of Congress on the final version of the pay hike bill.”

Trillanes had insisted on including in the proposed increases a hike in the monthly pension of retired military and police personnel even when the increased budget is designed only for active personnel.

In Metro Manila, Gaite said, government workers would march to Mendiola to tell President Aquino that he is “heartless and insensitive to the plight of government employees.”

Santi Dasmariñas Jr., National Federation of Employees Associations in Agriculture (NAFEDA) president, criticized SSL4 saying that “on close scrutiny” the measure would actually have the effect of reducing the income of public workers.

Various government employee groups earlier warned that while SSL4 increases the salary rates, it would also reduce the benefits they are currently receiving under their respective magna carta.

“We had no salary increase for more than five years under the Aquino administration but we are not desperate and despondent to accept a pay hike scheme that looks appealing… but on close scrutiny, takes away more from what we currently have,” Dasmariñas said.– With Aurea Calica, Jess Diaz