The Filipino Nurses United (FNU) said that government nurses "will no longer be demoted" after it triumphed against the "unjust demotion provision" of a circular from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) that supposedly affects their employment status.
“Filipino Nurses United celebrates with thousands of government nurses as they will no longer be demoted while the nurses with Nurse II position will have salary upgrade from Salary Grade 15 (SG15) to Salary Grade 16 (SG16),” the group said in a statement on Sunday, June 6.
The FNU said that “the nurses will now be claiming back their former job positions prior to the July 2020 demotion, and the Nurse II position will have one salary grade higher than their former salary grade.”
“The Memorandum signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea last June 1, 2021 proves that the united voice of nurses and their righteous assertion of their legitimate labor rights is critical in claiming back what is due for them,” it said.
The DBM Memorandum Circular 2020-4 was supposedly meant to increase the salary of entry-level nurses but has downgraded the nursing positions.
FNU said that it finds the DBM Circular “very threatening which could cause much disappointment and demoralization among nurses.”
“With this victory of nurses over demotion policy, FNU members will remain steadfast to advance the economic rights and general welfare of the Filipino nurses,” it said.