House approves government workers’ pay hikes until 2019

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on third and final reading the proposed Salary Standardization Law of 2015.

Voting 170-5-1, the House passed the measure which modifies the compensation and position classification system of civilian government personnel and the base pay schedule of military and uniformed personnel.

Under the measure, the increases will be implemented in four tranches, starting Jan. 1, 2016.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte said the final approval of the SSL 2015 bill on third and final reading showed the determination of House members to help improve the plight of government servants by updating their compensation and make their pay competitive with the market rates and the private sector.

"Despite the substantial duties and responsibilities of our government personnel, their salaries stand only at 55 percent, or about half, of current market rates," Belmonte said.

The House version, House Bill 6268,  provides for a weighted average increase of 45 percent in the compensation of all salary grades and raise compensation of government personnel to at least 70 percent of the private sector rate.

Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad earlier said the SSL 2015 will be effected through a combination of salary increases and bonuses to be implemented over a four-year period, from January 1, 2016 to January 1, 2019.

Under the SSL 2015, those lowest ranked personnel under Salary Grade 1 who are currently receiving P9,000 a month will get P9,478 a month under Step 1 or the first tranche, P9,981 under the second tranche, P10,510 under the third tranche, and P11,068 under the final tranche.

Those in the highest level of Salary Grade 33, who are presently receiving P120,000 a month, will get P160,000 a month in the first tranche, P215,804 a month in the second tranche, P289,4010 a month in the third tranche, and P388,096 a month in the final tranche.

The military personnel of the Department of National Defense (DND) and the uniformed personnel of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the National Mapping and Resource-Information Authority (NAMRIA) shall be covered by the Base Pay Schedule. —NB, GMA News