Gov’t employees assail ‘discriminatory salary hike’

By Aldwin Quitasol

BAGUIO CITY — The proposed Salary Standardization Law is discriminatory and will only benefit executives and officials in the government according to League of Local Government Units  Employees (LEAGUE) national president Erwin Lanuza.

He said  under the proposed SSL 4, the LGU employees will only receive about 65% of the  proposed salary adjustment.

He said that they will only receive an increase based on the income,  capacity of the LGUs. “1st class cities and municipalities shall receive an increase the same as in the national employees but the rest - 2nd classes to 6th class just percentage or even none at all,” he said.

Lanuza said the increases decrease as the categories of the LGU slides. He added that it is unfair and unjust. He said that the employees are being treated as second class citizens. “We eat the same food. We ride the same bus. We need a living wage too,” he said.

The league also is protesting the planned repeal of their Magna Carta benefits under SSL 4. Lanuza said that RA 8439 or the Magna Carta for Scientists, Engineers, Researchers and other Science and  Technology Personnel in the Government.

He said this is supposed to serve the welfare of the public servants.

He said they have been opposing SSL scheme of the government because the way it treats LGU workers is actually the implementation of the wage regionalization law.

He said that the government thinks workers in the regions or provinces' need lower wages because the cost of living is lower.

He said the Philippine Constitution mandates all workers need a living wage and the state should provide it.

He said that the SSL 4 that the government is offering to its employees will come in four tranches once implemented.

He said for instance an LGU can provide according to its capacity an SSL amounting to P2,000 for its employees, the employees will receive P500 for each tranche.

He said that is pittance compared to the continuing rise of prices of basic commodities and social services.

Lanuza said that what the workers need is a living wage. He said they are campaigning for a P16,000  monthly wage across the board nationwide to at least lessening the gap between their salaries and the  actual cost of living.