CV teachers to join “walk for salary hike”

CEBU, Philippines - Several public school teachers in Cebu and Central Visayas under the Alliance of Concerned Teachers-Region 7 Union will join today’s “Walk for Salary Hike” from Abellana National High School to Fuente Osmeña circle.

Antonia Lim, ACT-Region-7 union president, said they are calling for the salary hike of P6,451 per month for teachers and non-teaching personnel, which is embodied in the proposed measure filed by ACT Teachers Partylist Representative Antonio Tinio.

Lim said that the salaries of public school teachers are currently unable to support the reasonable standard of life for themselves and their families.

The union has been calling for Cebu lawmakers to support House Bill No. 245, which aims to increase the minimum monthly salary of teachers and non-teaching personnel in public elementary and secondary schools.

Around 180 congressmen, including Cebu third district Representative Gwendolyn Garcia and fourth district Representative Benhur Salimbangon, are supporting the bill.

HB 245 points out that the salaries of public school teachers do not compare favorably with other occupations in the government and neither does the teachers’ pay compare favorably with employees of business process outsourcing companies.

“Efforts of the government to upgrade the educational system cannot succeed as long as teachers and education workers are not accorded decent salaries,” the bill’s explanatory note reads.

ACT region-7 has more than 6,500 union members, around 1,500 of them are in Cebu City. Majority of its members are in Cebu province.  (FREEMAN)