Cebu City Council OKs ‘premium pay’ for JO workers

JULY 16, 2023: A glimpse at the facade of the Cebu City Hall. CDN Digital photo | Brian J. Ochoa

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Council has approved an ordinance granting ‘premium pay’ for job order (JO) personnel at the Cebu City Government.

The ordinance, titled “Job Order Service Premium for Job Order Personnel in Cebu City,” was passed on its third and final reading on Wednesday, May 22.

It was authored by Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia and Councilor Edgardo Labella II to recognize the contributions of job order personnel and support their welfare.

The ordinance applies to all JO workers in the Cebu City Government.

To qualify for premium pay, JO personnel must have completed at least three months of satisfactory service by April 30 or October 30 each year, as certified by their department heads, with active contracts as of May 15 or November 15.

Personnel with less than three months of satisfactory service will receive pro rata premium pay: up to P3,000 for two to three months of work, and up to P1,500 for one to two months.

The circular also states that JO workers should receive wages equivalent to comparable government positions, plus a premium of up to 20 percent.

On May 15, Garcia wrote to Acting Vice Mayor Donaldo Hontiveros urging the prompt passage of the ordinance.

“Granting of service order premium to job order employees is beneficial and advantageous to the local government unit as this will improve the morale and motivation of the job order employees that will lead to increased productivity and efficiency in their assigned tasks,” Garcia said.

He added that the service order premium will also encourage the JO personnel “to go the extra mile resulting in improved job performance and better outcomes for the City.”

Additionally, he said that it can also boost the motivation and morale of these personnel which could help them deliver high-quality services “promptly.” /clorenciana