The adjustments in this year’s school calendar disrupted not only the schedule of teachers but some of their benefits as well.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines said that as of Monday, April 26, the government "owes" teachers - those who hold Teacher 1 position - 17 overtime days, 17 service credit and P4,612.61 overtime pay or P271.88 per day.
ACT made an “Overtime Counter Check” which records the number of days that they have been rendering “overtime” and to urge the government to recompense for their lost leave benefits.
On April 12, ACT formally asked the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to grant service credit - plus 25 percent of overtime pay - in place of lost leave benefits of teachers under the proportional vacation pay (PVP).
The PVP, ACT said, is a specific leave benefit granted to public school teachers as a counterpart to the mandated annual 15-day sick leave and 15-day vacation leave credits that other public and private sector workers enjoy.
ACT said PVP is usually given during “summer” breaks or between April and May - after teachers have rendered 10 months of continuous service in a school year.
However, because of the adjusted school calendar under the distance learning set-up for School Year (SY) 2020-2021, ACT said that this benefit is “now gone.”
ACT said that public school teachers should have completed their regular 10-month service per school year on March 31. While the school year started on Oct. 5, DepEd directed public school teachers to report for duty starting June 1, 2020.
In March, DepEd announced that the current school year will end in July 10, 2021. This, ACT said, requires teachers to work for “14 months straight without a day of leave benefits.” “Requiring our teachers to do four months-worth of overtime work amid the pandemic and under the grueling distance learning is grave labor abuse,” said ACT Secretary General Raymond Basilio.
“While our teachers are ever willing to rise to the call of duty for the sake of our learners, it is only just for the government to fairly compensate them for their service,” he added.
In March, ACT called the attention of DepEd to guidelines for PVP for this school year and “come up with measures that would bring justice to the situation.”
In talks with CSC
Asked to comment on the issue of PVP for teachers, DepEd officials told the Manila Bulletin on April 26 that the agency is still in discussion with the CSC. “We are in discussion with CSC on this matter,” Undersecretary Jesus Mateo said.
DepEd Undersecretary for Finance Annalyn Sevilla also confirmed that DepEd is still “negotiating” the PVP policy with CSC. “Finance will comply and pay using the agreed policy on PVP,” she ended.