Tulfo seeks ‘decent wages’ for gov’t workers earning below industry rate

FILE PHOTO Sen. Raffy Tulfo (Screengrab / Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — Government workers earning below industry standard such as street sweepers and traffic aides should be given decent wages, Senator Raffy Tulfo said Monday.

Tulfo said that the government should comply with the labor standards which entitle employees to a minimum wage.

“Hanggang ngayon, marami pa ring empleyado sa gobyerno ang walang seguridad sa trabaho at sapat na sahod, kabilang na dito ang mga street sweepers at traffic aides sa iba’t-ibang munisipalidad,” Tulfo said in a statement.

(Even until now, there are a lot of government employees who do not have job security and sufficient salary, including street sweepers and traffic aides in different municipalities.)

“Sila marahil ang may pinakamahirap na trabaho — nakababad sa araw o di kaya ay nauulanan at nakakalanghap ng polusyon. May kalakip ding panganib ang trabaho nila pero ang kapalit ay maliit at di sapat na sweldo,” he said.

(They probably are the ones who have the toughest jobs—they work under the sun and are exposed to pollution. There is also danger in their job in exchange of insufficient salary.)

Tulfo pointed out that under Local Budget Circular (LBC) No. 143, the salary of street sweepers and traffic aides are dependent on the income classification of local government units.

Under the LBC, street sweepers can earn a maximum of P14,993 a month to as low as P8,648. Meanwhile, traffic aides can earn a maximum of P17,899 a month to as low as P9,181.

“If the government is serious in protecting workers’ rights and fighting against unjust labor practices, it must start by ensuring that people working for the government are earning decent salary,” Tulfo said.

“Marami pa rin sa street sweepers at traffic aides ang sumasahod below industry standard dahil nakasalalay pa din sa financial capacity ng bawat LGU ang sahod na matatanggap nila,” he added.

(There are still a lot of street sweepers and traffic aides who are earning below industry standard because their salary is still up to the financial capability of every LGU.)

Tulfo said the government should be able to show the importance of following labor standards and lead by example.

“It is important to lead by example. Kung ang gobyerno ay hindi nagbibigay ng tamang pasahod sa mga empleyado, how can we expect private companies to comply to labor standards and properly compensate their employees?” Tulfo said.

(If the government is not giving the proper salary to our employees, how can we expect private companies to comply with labor standards and properly compensate their employees?)

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