Hospital workers protest to get back hazard pay

CEBU, Philippines - We want our hazard pay back.

This is the common cry of the 33,295 health workers in their nationwide silent protest to seek the immediate release of their hazard pay which has been withheld from them for six months now.

The Unyon ng mga Kawani ng Kagawaran ng Kalusugan Sentral (UKKKS) or the National Department of Health Employees Association (NADEA), the sole and exclusive negotiating agent of the Department of Health, stated in its petition addressed to Health Secretary Enrique Ona, that it is not only the hazard pay which is guaranteed by law but more importantly, its immediate release is justified by their individual financial difficulties.

“We ask you to use the authority of your office to cause the immediate release of our hazard pay. We only ask for what the law has given to us - for what we deserve for what our family needs. Please dear Secretary, release our hazard pay,” the petition letter stated, with signatures of all the president of the NADEA-affiliated associations across the country.

Arnold Fauntilla, the president of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center Employees Association, which is an affiliate of NADEA, said that the hazard pay was given to them every month in the previous years. Since 1992, they have been receiving their hazard pay, which has helped them keep up with the rising cost of living.

But it was only this year, when they were advised that the hazard pay will be given quarterly, which is from January to March and so on. To their surprise, when the first week of April came, they were not able to receive any hazard pay.

“Nag-follow-up mi pag April and they said nga nag-endorse na mi but gibalik sa Department of Budget Management kay wala daw ka-comply sa requirements,” said Fauntilla, who went to a Consultative Meeting last June 21-22 in Manila for the matter.

Under the law and its implementing rules, public health workers are entitled to hazard pay equivalent to at least 25% of the monthly basic salary of health workers receiving Salary Grade 19 and below and P4,989 for those with Salary Grade 20 and above.

“Among salary mahurot-hurot gyud sa loan maong nagsalig gyud mi sa among hazard pays. But we were discouraged nga magsalig sa among hazard pay, unsa naman lang diay among saligan ani?” said Fauntilla, who added that he heard that there are plans that instead of quarterly, the hazard pay will be given annually. (We are relying on the hazard pay to survive because most of our salaries go to loan payments.)

All the members of the VSMMC employees association wore black arm bands as a sign of their protest. They had a five-day activity for their protest and they ended it yesterday with a mass at the said hospital.

“We ended it today (yesterday) because Secretary Ona will be hearing this matter in the Magna Carta Council Meeting. We hope that Secretary Ona will have a positive response with our request,” Fauntilla said.  (FREEMAN)