A group of public school teachers belonging to Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) issued a statement threatening the national government to go on mass leave if the 2015 budget will not include their demands of salary increase for teachers.
Photo Credit: Interaksyon.com
According to ACT Teachers partylist Representative Antonio Tinio, their group was demanding for the passage of a bill to raise the minimum salary of public school teachers to P25,000 and the non-teaching personnel to P15,000 through House Bill 245.
The 2015 national proposed national budget will be submitted to Congress a day after the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of Philippine President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III this coming July 18, 2014.
The ACT Teachers partylist group, also noted that the House of Representatives could hold hearings to immediately approve the House Bill P245, even during the break session. The Philippine Congress is set to go on “sine die adjournment” on June 13, 2014.
During the news conference conducted on Monday, June 9, 2014, ACT noted that the nationwide protest planned by their group, which also marked the school opening only proved that the education workers of the Philippines can no longer tolerate their inadequate wages. The public school teachers are desperate and angry enough to resort to a mass leave if government continues to refuse to heed their just demands according to ACT Representative Antonio Tinio.
Aside from the members of ACT, the President of Manila Public School Teachers Association (MPSTA), Louie Zabala, also added that the planned mass leave would be the teacher’s way of expressing their disgust over the Aquino administration’s disregard for their needs of higher wagers.
According to ACT Philippines national chairperson, Benjie Valbuena, their group will hold consultation among their members to get their feel on the mass leave protests of concerned public school teachers.
ACT also noted during the news conference that the Philippine government would need at least P60 billion for salary increase of all government employees. The last time that the Philippine government made a salary increase was during the year 2012 through the fourth installment of the Salary Standardization Law III.
