MANILA — Government employees occupying low- and middle-level positions are the biggest losers under the Aquino administration’s proposal for salary increases, while those occupying top posts already enjoying high pay, including the President, are the most favored, decried the Alliance for Concerned Teachers (ACT).
A measly P2,205-increase in four years is given to a Teacher I under the Malacañang proposal embodied in House Bill 6268 for the “Salary Standardization Law of 2015” or SSL 2015. This increase amounts to a mere P24 in additional finances per day for the ordinary public school teacher.
From the current P18,549, the monthly salaries for entry-level teachers or Teacher I will be raised to P19,077 in 2016, P19,620 in 2017, P20,179 in 2018, and P20,754 in 2019. After three years without a pay hike, this amounts to a mere 11.89% increase over the next four years for those who comprise over one third of the government bureaucracy. This paltry hike will not even counter the decline in the real value of money caused by inflation, which was 3-4% in 2013-2015, probably much higher in 2016-2019.
Those under the sub-professional level will be granted so-called increases ranging from 22.98% (Salary Grade 1, the lowest-paid position in government) to 11.99% (Salary Grade 9) in four years. The monthly pay of a Head Teacher II will increase by 22.68% (Salary Grade 15).
Public school teachers, nurses, and rank-and-file employees will receive the lowest share of increase under Aquino’s SSL 2015, ranging from 11% to 22% over the next four years. On the other hand, for executive-level positions, pay increases are 76.96% (Salary Grade 25) up to a whopping 233.12% (for Salary Grade 33, President of the Philippines).
It is true that there will be a mid-year bonus equivalent to a month’s salary and a Performance-Based Bonus equivalent to the salary for one up to two months. Nevertheless, apart from our opposition to the general framework of PBB, it is clear that when it comes to basic pay, government employees in the lowest up to the middle-level positions are disadvantaged while those occupying higher positions are greatly favored under the proposed SSL 2015 of President Aquino. (PR)
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