May 18, 2009
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers and the more than 500,000 public school teachers that it represents, considers the Joint Resolution No. 36 under Committee Report 1992 - otherwise known as the SSL3 - unacceptable for the following reasons:
1. The wage hike proposed under Joint Resolution No. 36 under Committee Report 1992 or SSL3 falls short of the 9,000-peso salary upgrade (P3,000 yearly increase in 3 years which will increase the entry-level salary of a new teacher from a measly P12,026 to P21,026 per month) that teachers demand.
Under Joint Resolution No. 36 under Committee Report 1992 or SSL3, a new teacher’s entry level status is merely at Salary Grade 11 (P18,549) which will be implemented in four yearly tranches.
This amount is just a little bit higher than the Salary Grade 10 offered for a Teacher I position, equivalent to a mere P6,523 increase in four years or a paltry P1,630.75 annually. Talking of percentages, this increase is only 54% of a teacher’s current salary to be implemented in four years, really small compared with the 74% increase in three years that teachers have been asking for.
More importantly, the proposed Salary Grade 11 (P18,549) under Joint Resolution No. 36 under Committee Report 1992 or SSL3 will not even push a teacher’s salary to a rate that complies with or is at least comparable with a living wage/monthly cost of living pegged at P21,390 (national average), a rate that continues to soar almost everyday.
This goes against two particular provisions in the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers (Republic Act No. 4670) which sets the criteria for a teacher’s salary: firstly, it must “ensure teachers a reasonable standard of life for themselves and their families”; and secondly, it should “compare favorably with those paid in other occupations requiring equivalent or similar qualifications, training and abilities.”
2. Our basic demand which is a 9,000-peso salary upgrade (a 3,000-peso increase annually in 3 years) has been the teachers’ overwhelming call for the past year and in fact, teachers have gained victories in this struggle,
Hundreds of thousands of teachers in the whole archipelago have assembled, united, marched, rallied and lobbied at the Senate and the House of Representatives to advance our 9,000-peso salary upgrade demand.
The solidarity of teachers gained the whole Senate’s solid support when it approved in third reading Senate Bill 2408, otherwise known as “An Act Providing for Additional Support and Compensation for Educators in Basic Education.” This law has the following salient provisions: It provides public school teachers and non-teaching personnel of the Department of Education an additional compensation of Php 9,000 to be paid in three equal tranches over a period of three years; It also provides additional support (local school board allowance, medical allowance, Magna Carta bonus).
Meanwhile, the teachers’ demands also gained ground in the House of Representatives through the initiative of party-list representatives from Gabriela, Bayan Muna and Anakpawis and other representatives from the Minority.
The Department of Education leadership from the national, regional and down to the division-level, has vigorously supported the 9,000-peso salary upgrade.
Thus, Joint Resolution No. 36 under Committee Report 1992 or SSL3 will never be acceptable and teachers will continue to fight for the just and timely call for a 9,000-peso salary upgrade.
3. Joint Resolution No. 36 under Committee Report 1992 or SSL3 contain questionable provisions:
· Adverse effects on allowances and benefits currently received by teachers
· Adverse effects on step increments
· Increased power or almost a blanket authority of the Department of Budget and Management and the
· Office of the President to decide regarding the “standardization” of salaries and benefits, and the classification” of positions.
4. In its entirety, the proposed Joint Resolution No. 36 under Committee Report 1992 or SSL3 maintains and worsens the lack of social justice and equity in the system of compensation and classification.
Under the proposed Joint Resolution No. 36 under Committee Report 1992 or SSL3, those under the Sub-Professional level (Salary Grade 1-9) will receive only 28% to 36% increase, while those in the Professional level (Salary Grade 10-24) will receive 38% to 100% increase. Meanwhile, those in the Executive category will receive more than 71%-142% increase.
The government shoddily and cheaply treats a majority of government employees, including 500,000 public school teachers who are in the frontline of public service, condemning them to a status which is below poverty level which means, having a wage way below the living wage/cost of living.
Under the Joint Resolution No. 36 under Committee Report 1992 or SSL3, Salary Grade 1 is pegged at P9, 000 or an increase of P2,851 or a 46% hike from the current P6,149. This is not even half of the living wage/monthly cost of living which is P21, 000. Meanwhile, under SSL3, Salary Grade 33 (the president) is pegged at P120, 000 or an increase of P50, 122, a 71.7% hike from the P69, 878 that the president currently receives. This amount is five times more than the living wage. Thus, Joint Resolution No. 36 under Committee Report 1992 or SSL3 will only further widen the gap between the low wages of rank-and-file employees on the one hand, and the sumptuous income and privilege of government officials on the other. Such arrangement negates public service which, at the very least should be different from the private sector that is motivated by profits.
5. Joint Resolution No. 36 under Committee Report 1992 or SSL3 will maintain and further worsen the salary grade distortion. Why would teachers be one salary grade higher only from Salary Grade 10, and thus will only receive what an AFP sergeant will have? Why would nurses be downgraded by four salary grades from the original SG15 while barangay councilors and captains will eventually be raised to SG 10 and SG 14, respectively? These distortions go against the meaning of equity, justice and democracy.
6. Under the proposed Joint Resolution No. 36 under Committee Report 1992 or SSL3, the specific salary grade and high compensation offered to personnel of AFP-DND, PNP-DILG and Philippine Coast Guard are written, while the specific salary grade classification of civilian personnel will be arbitrarily decided upon by the Department of Budget and Management. This is a direct assault to the essence of fairness, justice and equity.
7. Joint Resolution No. 36 under Committee Report 1992 or SSL3 have adverse effects on all government employees:
· Erosion of our gains in the struggle for more benefits and the right to have collective negotiations agreement (CNA)
· Non-automatic application of salary increase to employees of local government units: classifications will depend on income, class and financial capability of the area concerned (65-75% only of proposed hikes for 6th class municipalities)
· Employees of GOCCs, GFIs and SUCs with their own charter are exempted from Joint Resolution No. 36 under Committee Report 1992 or SSL3 even if their rates are lower than that provided for in the SSL.
· Salaries will be frozen for four years
Our just calls:
· P9,000 salary upgrade (P3,000 yearly in 3 years) for public school teachers!
· P3,000 automatic, lump-sum and not staggered increase in the minimum pay of government employees!
· Annual automatic salary adjustment
· Regularization and institutionalization of current benefits and provision of funds for such
· Fight for a just and equitable compensation and classification of government employees
- Investigate the following anomalies: shameless perks, privileges and funds received by top-level bureaucrats and officials; the myriad of allowances and huge “intelligence funds” not covered by COA’s review power; huge honorarium of government representatives in the board of directors of GOCCs and sequestered corporations. In essence, these fall under the multiple compensation issue since most of them are also incumbent secretaries, undersecretaries, assistant secretaries etc. in government agencies; and the “over-supply” of Undersecretaries, Assistant Secretaries, Assistant Commissioners, Consultants and other dubious positions created to accommodate lackeys and supporters of the administration or pay its debts to its “benefactors” thus unnecessarily bloating the bureaucracy with highly-paid yet incompetent top-level bureaucrats while hard-working rank-and-file employees receive crumbs.
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