Manual Workers Union dissatisfied with P2,500 minimum wage

The National Amalgamated Local and Central Government, and Parastatal Workers Union (Manual Workers Union) is not satisfied with the recently amended minimum wage for the A3 scale public workers.

Last week, the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) agreed to increase the minimum wage to P2,500 and signed on the dotted line to authorise the salary increment for the A3 scale. But with all these developments going on, Robert Rabasimane, who is the Manual Workers Union deputy CEO, is not convinced it is for the greater good. “With the government, a lot of things are always being left behind and these are the things that really disturb us as the union,” he said.

“For example, this thing of talking with government looking for salary increment is from last year and it is only being acceded to now after so long and this really shows that there is a great problem in government,” he said. Rabasimane added on to give an insight as to why he is not happy with the increment of the A3 scale.

“We cannot really say we are happy because we are not where we want to be and back in 2019 during negotiations, we agreed that two years after 2019 a person who is on bottom-notch

A3 should have a minimum wage of 2023,” Rabasimane said, adding that it got delayed and did not go according to the plan “hence why we say we are not really happy”.

With Rabasimane saying the increment has been overtaken by time, he indicates that in the current economic state and the recession that followed since COVID-19 hit, the P2,500 would not be enough to carry the burden of the cost of living nowadays.

After winning the salary increment battle, Rabasimane indicated that they will now be fighting other battles.

He revealed that they are currently in talks with government to have all their cars insured. Having government cars insured, he says is simply to avoid docking the driver’s salaries whenever they get in accidents with government vehicles. “Drivers are always struggling with government cars whenever they get in accidents,” he said, adding that they know that they have to pay from their own pockets though they don’t earn much. “We want to put an end to this by government insuring their cars.” With no signs of satisfaction with the development, Rabasimane was, however, thankful for being able to sign on the dotted line with DPSM for the salary increment. “I have to say we really are grateful that there is movement taking place and this is all we have ever wanted to see happening,” he said.