Intramuros Employees Face Dismissal for Joining Rally

BY NOEL SALES BARCELONA
Bulatlat.com
August 22, 2008 – 3:15 p.m.

For joining a rally to protest alleged unfair labor practices, casual employees of the Intramuros Administration were threatened with dismissal.

Ma. Ana Harper, chief of the Intramuros Administration said she would give casual employees a non-renewable 30-day contract for joining the rally organized by the Intramuros Administration Casual Employees Association (ICA-EA).

The employees staged the rally at noon today at the Plaza Roma, in front of the Manila Cathedral. Members of the Bureau of Customs Employees Association, Department of Labor Employees Union, Senate Employees Association and the Department of Tourism Employees Association joined the rally to express their support to the Intramuros Administration employees.

In a statement sent to Bulatlat, Rolando Salcedo, president of the ICA-EA said the Intramuros administration violated the provisions of the order issued by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in 1994, stating that the employees should hold plantilla positions.Salcedo related that earlier this month, the Commission on Audit (COA) questioned the practice of charging the salaries of casual employees to maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE). According to Salcedo, the COA opined that if the employees’ positions are considered as part of the plantilla, as provided for by the 1994 CSC order, their salaries must be charged to personnel services.

“But since they have classified us as casual employees, we are deprived of our benefits as government employees holding plantilla positions. This is a very unjust decision of the Intramuros Administration particularly of Merceditas de Sahagun and Mely Veluz, the chief of the personnel division,” lamented Salcedo.

Salcedo added that they have not yet received their salary for two months.

“Because of the administration’s move, our membership with the GSIS, Pag-ibig fund, and Philhealth as well as our incentives such as bonuses are terminated,” said Salcedo.

“We believe Ms. Harper has something to do with this,” Salcedo concluded. (Posted by Bulatlat.com)