TEACHERS under the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) 7 Union are demanding the immediate release of their overdue service credit and 25 percent overtime premium for the 77 extra workdays of school year 2020-2021.
“Despite the uncertainties of the pandemic, our teachers have never stopped working to ensure that we can guarantee a quality education for our students. In spite of this, DepEd (Department of Education) only gave promises that appropriate compensation will be given to us. However, up until now, what is due to us has never been fulfilled,” said Antionia Maamo-Lim, ACT 7 Union president.
The ACT 7 Union explained the 297 working days served by teachers are 77 days more than the 220 maximum number of school days in a school year mandated by Republic Act 7797.
Last June 24, a dialogue between ACT Philippines, Civil Service Commission (CSC), DepEd, and ACT Teachers Partylist was held on the grant of service credits for the overtime work of public school teachers in the last school year rendered from June 1, 2020- July 10, 2021.
Lim said teachers are overworked but under-supported and underpaid.
“The failure of DepEd to provide the guidelines for granting our compensation must be immediately addressed and the CSC must now intervene to make sure that promises and agreement must be acted upon immediately,” she said.
“We need the CSC to back us up in holding the DepEd accountable for its failure to pay our teachers’ overtime work, which we all have recognized and agreed upon. It is dishonorable for public officials to go back on their words and turn their backs on education frontliners who have gone beyond their duties to ensure education continuity in the midst of a pandemic,” Raymond Basilio, ACT Philippines Secretary General said.
“We challenge DepEd and CSC to give urgency and heed the calls and interests of the teachers if they truly value the welfare of the teachers,” Lim said. (JOB with PR)