ACT protests Salary Standardization Law


ACT criticized Congress for granting inadequate pay increases to public school teachers. “The bills provide a Php 6,500 increase to teachers over the next four years,” said Tinio. “Spread out over four years, this will translate to a mere P1,625 monthly increase per year. This is substantially less than our demand for a Php 9,000 hike over the next 3 three years.”

“An army private currently receives a higher total monthly compensation than a public school teacher. A cadet in the Philippine Military Academyreceives the same basic pay as an associate professor in one of our state universities and colleges. The SSL 3 will perpetuate this injustice to theteaching profession.”

“In solidarity with other public sector employees, we also condemn the failure of SSL 3 to upgrade government nurses to Salary Grade 15, failure to grant an immediate Php 3,000 increase to the lowest salary grades, and failure to grant equal increases in pay to local government employees compared to those in the national government.”


ALLIANCE OF CONCERNED TEACHERS 2/F Teachers’ Center, Mines St. cor. Dipolog St. , Bgy. VASRA, Quezon City , Philippines Telefax 453-9116 Mobile 0920-9220817 Email act_philippines@ yahoo.comWebsite www.actphils. com Member, *Education International* May 31, 2009 NEWS RELEASE Reference: Antonio L. Tinio, ACT Chairperson (0920-9220817) Teachers to hold march as schools open to protest new salary law Public school teachers will be marching in the streets as schools reopen on Monday, June 1, to condemn the impending passage of the so-called “Salary Standardization Law 3” (SSL 3), which seeks to grant pay hikes to public sector employees over the next four years. The Alliance of Concerned Teachers will lead 500 public school teachers in a march to the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City at 2 p.m. on Monday, June 1. “In the past few days, the House and Senate have approved their respective versions of the new salary law for government employees,” said ACT national chairperson Antonio Tinio. “Unfortunately, they are unacceptable to teachers and our colleagues in the public sector.” ACT criticized Congress for granting inadequate pay increases to public school teachers. “The bills provide a Php 6,500 increase to teachers over the next four years,” said Tinio. “Spread out over four years, this will translate to a mere P1,625 monthly increase per year. This is substantially less than our demand for a Php 9,000 hike over the next 3 three years.” He added that the legislation approved by both houses also failed to address distortions in the government’s standardized pay scale that placed teachers at a disadvantage. These distortions were worsened when the Arroyo administration upgraded the salaries of military personnel in 2002. “An army private currently receives a higher total monthly compensation than a public school teacher. A cadet in the Philippine Military Academyreceives the same basic pay as an associate professor in one of our state universities and colleges. The SSL 3 will perpetuate this injustice to theteaching profession.” ACT further criticized other features of SSL 3. “In solidarity with other public sector employees, we also condemn the failure of SSL 3 to upgrade government nurses to Salary Grade 15, failure to grant an immediate Php 3,000 increase to the lowest salary grades, and failure to grant equal increases in pay to local government employees compared to those in the national government.” Tinio called on legislators from both chambers of Congress to introduce amendments to the legislation when the Bicameral Conference Committeemeets to finalize the SSL 3. #
		Gabriela Partylist Rep. Luz Ilagan and ACT Chair UP Prof. Antonio tinio







1st U.P. Staff Regent: Mr. Clodualdo “Buboy” E. Cabrera


	Go to the website of ACT

=

==






				About the Alliance of Concerned Teachers Fropm: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliance_of_Concerned_Teachers Wikipedia Objectives ACT defines its objectives in the following terms: * To unite teachers and other education workers to struggle for their democratic rights and economic welfare. * To advance a nationalist, scientific and mass-oriented education. * To encourage active and dynamic participation of teachers and other education workers in social transformation. * To represent, assist and defend its affiliates and their individual members, in particular, and the teachers and other education workers, in general, in the advancement of their legitimate rights and interests. * To launch campaigns to protect human rights, the environment and the national minorities/indigenous peoples, promote gender equality, genuine land reform, workers’ rights, and be involved with other social issues. * To help in the formation of the broadest unity of all oppressed sectors of Philippine society in advancing the interests of the Filipino people. * To unite with progressive individuals, groups and movements abroad who share common beliefs and aspirations with ACT-Philippines. Membership requirements Membership in ACT is open to national and regional organizations whose membership or composition include federations, unions, alliances, cooperatives, political, disciplinal or interest associations of teachers and of education workers. Active and nationalist teaching and non-teaching personnel working in the education sector in all levels (pre-school, elementary, secondary and tertiary) in both public and private institutions who are members of an education-based organization are eligible. ACT is the umbrella formation of two national organizations, the Congress of Teachers for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND), a militant and nationalist teachers’ organization, and the National Federation of Teachers and Employees’ Union (NAFTEU), the national formation of school-based labor unions. Membership in these organizations means automatic affiliation with ACT. Individual members who are qualified are also accepted. Organization Integration and education are ACT’s main organizing and consolidation activities. Regular visits are made to update members of the organizational activities and campaigns. Discussions, dialogues, for a, and symposia are held especially on the burning issues of the day that directly or indirectly affect the education sector. ACT also aims to unite the membership on the principles and objectives of the organization, align itself with the basic masses and raise its levels of unity to an anti-foreign domination stand on the educational system and Philippine society. ACT also provides institutional services like free legal aid, media exposure on legitimate concerns, training, and other forms of assistance as may be deemed necessary. It regularly comes out with its quarterly publication, the ACT Forum, for its present and future members.







House proposal for public sector wage hike further widens gap between civilian and military pay The Alliance of Concerned Teachers today criticized a proposed public sector wage hike bill pending in the House of Representativesfor favoring military and uniformed personnel over employees in the civilian bureaucracy. According to ACT national chairman Antonio Tinio, House Joint Resolution No. 24 will grant higher pay increases to military and police personnel relative to professionals in the civilian bureaucracy, such as teachers, nurses, accountants, lawyers, and doctors. House Joint Resolution No. 24, “Joint Resolution Urging the President of the Philippines to Modify the Compensation and Position Classification System of the Government and to Implement the Same Initially Effective July 1, 2009, and Authorizing the Amendment of Existing Laws and Issuances Contrary to the Provisions of this Resolution,” was drafted by the Department of Budget and Managementand the Civil Service Commission and filed by Speaker Prospero Nograles on September 16, 2008. “Therefore, it is the Arroyo administration’s public sector wage hike proposal,” said Tinio, noting that there were numerous other proposed bills pertaining to salaries pending in the House. “While we do not begrudge military and police personnel the pay increases that will be granted them, we do resent the fact that the Arroyo administration has consistently focused on upgrading the pay of uniformed personnel while neglecting to do the same for the civilian bureaucracy,” said Tinio. He pointed out that while Malacañang imposed a wage freeze on civilian personnel from 2001 to 2007, during the same period it substantially upgraded the salaries and benefits of military and police personnel. “Unfortunately, we’re seeing the same bias in the administration’s current proposal.” ACT revealed that at a recent meeting of a Technical Working Group, DBM officials explained that a Police Officer I or Private will receive a total monthly compensation (which includes basic pay and allowances) of P19,800; a Cadet in the Philippine National Police Academy will receive P25,140; and a 2nd Lieutenant, P34,218. On the other hand, a Teacher I or Nurse I will receive P20,549; an Accountant I will receive P21,940; a doctor or lawyer (Medical Officer I or Attorney I) will receive P28,878. “In this proposal, a Cadet in the PNPA will be paid 22% higher than a public school teacher,” said Tinio. “In fact, the Cadet will have the same basic salary as anAssociate Professor I in our state universities and colleges. That’s a tenured Ph.D. holder sharing the same pay grade as a plebe in the academy. Is that fair to professionals in the civilian bureaucracy?” “We appeal to the members of the House as well as the House leadership, particularly Speaker Nograles and Committee on Appropriations chairman Junie Cua, to heed our call for fairness and uplift the pay and status of teachers and other professionals in the civilian bureaucracy,” said Tinio. “In particular, our demand is for a P9,000 increase in the total compensation of teachers, from the current P14,026 to P23,026.” Tinio made his appeal during a march of 5,000 public school teachers to the Batasang Pambansa. Teachers from Quezon City , Manila , Caloocan , and other cities of Metro Manila, as well as the nearby provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, and Tarlac, participated in the march. “This march signals our determination to carry on this struggle for decent salaries for teachers and other professionals in government.” Similar protests were held simultaneously in Cebu City and Koronadal City . In Koronadal City , more than 500 teachers marched to the Round Ball in the center of the city, where they held a rally and candlelighting ceremony in support of the call for a P9,000 increase in the salaries of teachers. # References: Antonio Tinio (0920-9220817), ACT National Chairman William Alterado (0920-6728592), ACT-Cebu City Gloria Malcontento (0915-9441746), ACT-Koronadal






BONUS TRACKS


Our teachers are one of the gentlest street protesters. They avail of the constitutional right of free assembly for the redress of grievances. But the House leadership and the House Security, who also studied under patient and diligent teachers, think they must guard against them. So they closed the gates of the Batasan and reenforced its strength by additional locks. The House leadership must have already forgotten what many teachers tell their students: that the force of an idea can unlock those gates sooner than they think.




Quezon City second distrcit Rep. Annie Rosa Susano dropped by the picketing teachers and gifted them with a few thousands of pesos. She probably knows that the teachers will have to stage more pickets before the House leadership would agree to the proposal of the teachers for a higher salary increase. Every peso counts. As one who had very good public school teachers from elementary to college, I would wish that many congressmen would send their donations to ACT and the teachers, or better still: approve immediately the proposal of the teachers before Congress adjourns.. The question that lingers on in our minds after the picket: why must our public school teachers fight and struggle for a decent salary which they deserve because of their very important work in our society?

**