By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
“Our call is for the government to provide immediate relief to the lowly state workers who are reeling not just from the rising cost of basic commodities but also from the effects of the taking away by the government of our hard-earned benefits.”
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO Bulatlat.com In a rally in front of the House of Representatives, government employees led by the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE) denounced Malacañang’s inaction on their demands for a salary increase. They said that Malacañang fooled no one with its announcement last May 1 International…
By MARYA SALAMAT
In the Philippines, the bulk of employed health workers and professionals are in the public sector. But over the years, the effect of government neglect on health, such as low wages and deplorable working conditions of health workers, coupled with the government’s active labor export policy, have combined to shrink the number of the country’s employed health professionals and workers.
The recently signed Salary Standardization Law 3 (SSL3) sets new salary rates for state workers. It’s a welcome respite amid the economic crisis, as well as an initial victory of the campaign for better wages. But government workers say SSL3, apart from giving really small increases, still has numerous anti-worker provisions. It is crying out for improvement.