Senator Raffy Tulfo today pushed for decent wages for government workers as he lamented that many of them, including local street sweepers and traffic aides, are still being paid below industry standard.

Tulfo said the government should lead by example by complying to the labor standards which entitle employees to a minimum wage.

“If the government is serious in protecting workers’ rights and fighting against unjust labor practices, it must start by ensuring that people working for the government are earning decent salary,” he added.

Under Local Budget Circular (LBC) 143 (s. 2022), the salary of street sweepers and traffic aides are dependent on the income classification of Local Government Units (LGUs).

Street sweepers, as indicated in the LBC, can earn a maximum of ₱14,993 a month to as low as ₱8,648, which is equivalent to an estimate of ₱376 a day. Traffic aides, for their part, can earn a maximum of ₱17,899 a month to as low as ₱9,181.00 or ₱399 a day.

Street sweepers and traffic aides are considered the country’s frontliners, especially at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic wherein they continued reporting to work despite the dangers brought about by the global health crisis.

The senator from Isabela stressed that the government should serve as a good example to encourage private companies to comply to the labor standards as stated by the law.

“It is important to lead by example. Kung ang gobyerno ay hindi nagbibigay ng tamang pasahod sa mga empleyado (If government cannot give the right wages to its employees), how can we expect private companies to comply to labor standards and properly compensate their employees?” he asked.