Thousands of government workers from the Kapisanan ng mga Manggagawa sa GOCCs at GFIs (Kamagffi) are calling for the passage of a law for the GCG’s total abolition.
Kamagffi , whose members are mostly composed of rank-andfile and management personnel from Government Financial Institutions (GFI’s) and GOCC’s, is set to hold a mass assembly on July 21 between 12 noon and 1 p.m. at the GCG Head Office, Citibank Centre, Villar Street, Paseo De Roxas, Makati City.
Kamagffi is also a federation of 31 Unions from GOCCs and GFis.
In a statement, Kamagffi said “the GCG was unable to fulfill competently its mandate since it was granted jurisdiction to regulate the salaries and benefits of government-owned and controlled corporations and financial institutions.”
Baldwin Sykimte, Kamagffi national president, reiterated the stand of these government workers that “the GCG obviously does not have the competence to evaluate the structure, performance and assessment variables vis-à-vis the considerable compensation and benefits that GFI’s and GOCC’s are justifiably entitled to.”
Sykimte also said, “it is clear that the intent of the GCG is to level the salary scheme of all government employees based on rank and position level which is clearly ridiculous. In the private sector for example “kung sa bangko ang entry level ay Teller 1 at ang sa school ay Teacher 1, makikita naman natin na hindi pareho ang sweldo at benepisyo nila. Lalo na kung sa mas magandang bangko at eskuwelahan, nagkakaroon din ng pagkakaiba.”
The GCG is “merely an added bureaucratic agency that is causing a rigmarole, since whenever any GFI or GOCC agency that would request the approval of any new benefit and always in our experience would only refer the matter to the Offi ce of the President”, Sykimte added.
The GCG recently has issued EO 203, which clearly is not feasible since it aims to exactly level the salaries and benefi ts according to rank all GOCC and GFI employees, Sykimte said. Also recently, Sykimte said, “the GCG has with impunity issued a guideline Memorandum Circular 2017 for the Performance Based Bonus (PBB) that is immediately marginalizing the yearly performance incentive for GFI’s and GOCC’s, just when this benefi t is about to be granted.”
For the past five years there has been no increase in salary for the GFI’s and GOCC’s and the GCG has not been able to come up with policies that would aptly provide the just compensation for GFI and GOCC professionals, he pointed out.
Currently, the GCG’s policies on salaries and benefi ts for GFI’s and GOCC’s seem to marginalize senior rank-and-file and middle management employees who more often possess the necessary experience and technical expertise in any government agency.
If the GCG and its policies would not be abolished, there is the great risk of a “braindrain” which would mean that competent professionals from these GFI’s and GOCC’s may opt to seek greener pastures in the private sector and even abroad, Sykimte explained.
This would create an inconvenient vacuum that may immediately and significantly disrupt the competent and timely delivery of government products and services for these GOCC’s and GFI agencies, he added.
