THE country’s largest labor group on Monday criticized a House bill that would fix nurses’ starting salaries at P14,000 a month, saying it was degrading.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines said the Angara bill would demote Filipino nurses who were now entitled to a starting salary of P22,000.
“If Congressman Juan Edgardo Angara wishes to follow the footsteps of his father and become senator someday, he should promptly withdraw his bill, which degrades our nurses,” said group president Ernesto Herrera, a former chairman of the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources development.
Angara, a member of the House prosecution panel in the impeachment case against Chief Justice Renato Corona, is the son of Senator Edgardo Angara whose send consecutive term in the Senate expires next year.
Herrera cited the Nursing Law of 2002 that pegged a public nurse’s floor pay at P22,688 at least.
“The only reason the higher pay rate is not being enforced by public hospitals is because the government claims it does not have the wherewithal,” Herrera said.
He said private sector nurses would remain underpaid “as long as the government itself pays [the nurses in public hospitals] poorly.”
He said Philippine Health Insurance Corp. was already paying nurses P15,000 monthly, which was higher than the salary being pushed by Angara.
Herrera has been pressing for the opening of new foreign labor markets and the creation of local employment programs for the growing number of jobless nurses.
He is also pressing for the shutdown of substandard schools, which he said had been depriving nursing students of a proper education.
Nurses are now the nation’s second-largest group of professionals after teachers. The Professional Regulation Commission estimates the number of unemployed nurses at 300,000. –Vito Barcelo, Manila Standard Today
September 18 –
International Equal Pay Day
“Increase wages now,
more than other cost items.
For widespread, practical equality!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the recommendations of the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry
against serious violations of protocols of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association.
Accept the National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar. Reject Military!
#WearMask #WashHands
#Report Corruption #SearchPosts #TakePicturesVideos
October –
Monthly Observances:
Industry and Commerce Safety Month
National Statistics Month
Local Government Month
Consumer Welfare Month
Cooperative Month
National Quality and Productivity Improvement Month
National Health and Wellness Tourism Month
National Indigenous Peoples Month
Weekly Observances:
Week 1: Elderly Filipino Week
Week 2: National Health Education Week
Local Government Week
National Mental Health Week
October 17-23:
National Week for Overcoming Extreme Poverty
October 18 – 24:
United Nations Week
Last Week:
Nurses’ Week
Consumers’ Protection Week
Week of the 4th Sunday:
Barrio Farmers’ Week
Daily Observances:
First Monday (Oct 4): Universal Children’s Day i
n the Philippines
Oct 5: National Teachers’ Day
Oct 10: Local Government Day
Third Thursday (Oct 14): Conflict Resolution Day
Oct 21: Tenants’ Emancipation day
Oct 24: United Nations Day
Oct 29: National Indigenous People’s Thanksgiving Day
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