‘Reacting to the Pres. Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order No. 64, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines decried the administration’s measure outlining a four-tranche salary increase scheme for government workers, which they describe as long-due, grossly insufficient and dishearteningly stingy.
“Bongbong, Barat, Makunat!” declared Ruby Bernardo, ACT NCR Union President, expressing outrage at the administration’s tight-fistedness on teachers and government workers by pegging public sector’s salaries to the private sector, which are patently below family living wage. “Muli na namang binabarat ang mga guro at kawani sa gobyerno. Walang pinag-iba itong EO64 sa barya-baryang umentong napala ng mga pampublikong kawani sa mga nakalipas na Salary Standardization Laws. Nasa mahigit P40 milyon ang ginasta para pag-aralan kuno ang ‘competitive at equitable’ na sweldo ng mga lingkod-publiko pero mumo ang aasahan naming dagdag-sweldo sa loob ng apat na taon,” Bernardo hit.
In ACT’s computation, the annual raise over four years amounts to a meager P50 increase in the daily wage of 90% of teachers, with expected increased deductions for mandatory contributions and taxes, further eroding its value. More so, SG1 employees are set to only receive a pitiful P20 increase over the same period, while the president’s minimum monthly salary, currently at P419,000, will soar to nearly P460,000 by the fourth tranche. ACT underscored that these paltry raises are nothing more than crumbs, failing miserably to address the ever-widening gap between the cost of living and the meager wages that majority of the civilian workforce are forced to survive on, and exacerbating salary distortion in government service.
“It is appalling to the core that the government touts its commitment to just and equitable compensation for government workers and demands increased productivity and higher quality of public service, while once again delivering far too little and too late to teachers and government employees, all while economic conditions worsen. This executive order is a far cry from our demands for substantial salary increases. Teachers, alongside other government employees and workers, will assert our rights for decent and living wages, and call on the legislature to urgently enact laws and increase budget for these measures,” added Bernardo.
ACT reiterated its calls for substantial salary increase including P50,000 entry-level pay for teachers, P33,000 for SG1 employees, and SG16 for Instructor 1.
