Aquino gov’t withdraws legally mandated benefits of health workers

Aquino gov’t withdraws legally mandated benefits of health workers

By denying public health workers their legally-mandated benefits, the Aquino government has practically reduced their monthly take-home pay.
By MARYA SALAMAT
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – Government hospital workers are grappling today with demoralization as they confront a “state policy” that results in reduction of their hard-won benefits, decimation of the ranks of regularly employed public health workers, and cutbacks in free services for the poor.

“Our salaries are already very low, yet, our benefits are being reduced,” said Jossel Ebesate, national president of the Alliance of Health Workers (AHW). Ebesate decried how more and more of his fellow health workers are also being hired as contractuals who receive no job security or benefits, while our public hospitals are being eaten up by the profit-driven private sector.”

At present, the lack of plantilla positions for health workers has been compelling some public health personnel – from doctors to nurses and other health practitioners – to work duties that last from 16 to 24 hours. In the last two decades, the plantilla position for nurses, for example, has remained unchanged, despite the increase in the population during the same period.

Leaders of the health workers’ alliance shared that a public health worker today is losing P860 (US$ 20.23) per month since the Department of Health (DOH) implemented its Order No. 2012-002. The order, which was released last January 11, reduces their laundry allowance from P150 ($3.53) a month to P130 ($3.06), and subsistence allowance from P50 ($1.18) per day to P30 ($0.71) per working day.

Public health workers: ‘Aquino’s budget cuts are killing us softly.’ (Photo by Marya Salamat / bulatlat.com)

The cut was based on the General Appropriations Act of 2012, which, the health workers said, also centralizes to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) the fund for unfilled plantilla positions and requires agencies to get prior approval from the DBM before it could release its savings and allocate it for the benefits of its personnel. The management of public hospitals source from their savings the benefits of health workers, such as hazard pay. With the DOH and DBM order, this hazard pay is now being delayed, or worse, at risk of not being given to health workers at all, said the AHW.

Aquino government violates laws pertaining to health sector

President Benigno Aquino III is doing something that even former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo did not dare to do during her unpopular rule, according to the health alliance.

Aquino is violating at least two legislations, said Emma Manuel, president emeritus of AHW, in a press conference last week. Manuel explained that the government should have been implementing the Magna Carta for Public Health Workers and using its provisions as guide in budgeting for health, and the provisions of the General Appropriations Act and orders issued by the DBM should be consistent with it. Manuel shared that the Salary Standardization Law-3 also prohibits the reduction and removal of benefits provided for by the Magna Carta for Public Health Workers..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/03/13/aquino-gov%E2%80%99t-withdraws-legally-mandated-benefits-of-health-workers/