Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 27) — Several workers’ groups are asking for funds to increase the wages of government employees.
They said during the discussion on the 2024 budget that the House of Representatives slashed the ₱94 billion provision for pay hikes by about ₱70 billion. They expressed hope the slashed funds could be reinstated when the Senate and bicameral conference deliberate on the matter.
They argued that current wages — where the lowest-ranked government workers receive ₱13,000 monthly — are not enough to provide for a family.
“As of the moment, wala pa tayong naririnig sa Senado tungkol po sa pagbabalik ng ₱70 billion. Kaya ang panawagan namin sa Senado, na ibalik ito,” said Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE) spokesperson Santi Dasmarinias.
[Translation: As of the moment, we have not heard from the Senate on whether the ₱70 billion will be returned, so we are asking them to bring it back.]
Benjamin Santos, secretary general of the Alliance of Health Workers condemned the paring down of funds, saying it shows the welfare of workers does not come high on the list of lawmakers’ priorities.
“Hindi po tayo naniniwala na walang pondo ang gobyerno sa pagtataas ng sahod. Nakikita po natin na hindi lang napa-prayoridad ang ating mga manggagawa,” he said.
[Translation: We don’t believe there are no funds for wage increases. What we see is that workers are not the priority.]
Groups also said the low salaries of national government employees means even lower wages in local government units.
For example, in a 6th class municipality, government workers who belong to salary grade 1 receive just 65% (around ₱8,450) of the ₱13,000. Added to this is the problem of job order and contractual government employees who do not receive benefits and live in fear of being unemployed.
Labor groups are asking for ₱33,000 as the national minimum national wage for government employees — equivalent to the minimum living wage for a family of six.
Public school teachers, meanwhile, should get ₱50,000 for their entry-level salary, they said.
