Tulfo seeks decent wages for gov’t workers

Senator Raffy Tulfo on Monday called for decent wages for government workers, saying many of them are still paid below the industry standard.

Citing the Local Budget Circular 143, Tulfo said the salary of local government personnel such as street sweepers and traffic aides remains dependent on the income classification of local government units.

Tulfo said street sweepers earn a maximum of P14,993 or a minimum of P8,648 per month, or around P376 per day.

Meanwhile, he said traffic aides get between P9,181 and P17,899 a month or an estimate of P399 per day.

“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,” he said in a statement.

[Up until now, many employees in government don’t have secure jobs and sufficient wages, including our street sweepers and traffic aides.]

“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 added.

[Maybe they have the hardest job - working under the sun or rain and breathing in pollution. Their jobs entail danger yet they receive insufficient pay.]

Tulfo said that the government must ensure that its employees are earning decent salaries if it is serious about protecting workers’ rights.

“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?” he said.—LDF, GMA News