THE DEPARTMENT of Budget and Management (DBM) is conducting a study on the government compensation structure to determine if there is a need for another possible round of increase in wages for the government workers.
DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the General Appropriations Act of 2023 has allocated PHP 48 million from the Government Corporate Counsel’s (GCG) budget to facilitate this study.
“This is to ensure that the compensation of all civilian personnel will be competitive with those in the private sector,” she said. The study will include a review of the rates of the existing benefits being provided to government employees, in order to assess if there is a need to adjust them in the future.
She said the salary increase, as well as the night differential is intended “to help cushion the daily challenges of living and raising a family.”
“It is my hope that this will inspire my fellow workers in government to continue doing good—to continue serving the country with efficiency, integrity, and dedication,” Pangandaman said.
On Tuesday, August 1, Pangandaman, along with Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chairperson Karlo Alexi Nograles, and Governance Commission for Government Owned or Controlled Corporations (GCG) Chairperson Ret. Justice Alex L. Quiroz, signed the Joint Circular (JC) on the Rules and Regulations on the Grant of Night Shift Differential Pay to Government Employees.
The IRR set the night shift differential pay to “not exceeding 20 percent of the hourly basic rate of the employee, as determined by the head of the agency, for each hour of work performed between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. of the following day.”
In the case of public health workers, the rate “shall not be lower than 10 percent of their hourly basic rate.”
Republic Act 11701, the law granting night differential to government employees, was signed by then President Rodrigo Duterte on April 13, 2022 and took effect on June 2, 2022. The CSC, in coordination with the DBM, promulgated its IRR, which took effect on February 25, 2023. By Elmer Recuerdo (EV Mail July 31-August 6, 2023 issue)
