A group of health workers hailed the reversal of a circular by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), which raised the salary of entry-level nurses but consequently demoted long-serving senior nurses.
While the DBM Circular No. 2020-4 issued on July 17, 2020, increased the pay of entry nurses, it also dissolved the Nurse VII or "chief nurse" rank, demoting the positions of Nurses II to VII by one rank lower, while retaining their salary level.
On Monday, June 7, the DBM said President Duterte decided "to upgrade the salary grade (SG) of Nurse II from SG 15 and to retain the position titles of Nurse III to Nurse VII with their corresponding SGs."
The salary increase to SG 16 from 15 is around P3,000, according to Filipino Nurses United.
" Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) are pleased to extend our warmest congratulations to Filipino Nurses United and to all the nurses across the country and to all AHW unions and members and other health organizations who work hand in hand on the nurses' struggle against demotion in ranks," the group said in a statement.
"But the fight does not end here because we will continue the fight and we will call for both the upgrading of nurses' salary grades and increase in salaries of all nurses and other health workers."