By POTOTAN, ILOILO – Several employees of the Iloilo Provincial Hospital in the town of Pototan filed a complaint due to a delay in the salaries of nurses and its employees.
According to a complainant, the employees renewed their contract last year but still haven’t received their salaries until February of this year. Moreover, the nurses have not yet received their Health Emergency Allowance and other benefits.
Meanwhile, the Iloilo Provincial Hospital management apologized to their employees because their salaries were delayed for January and February. Dr. Alberto Cordero, the hospital chief, said that the salary of the hospital employees is often delayed every time the year starts because of the re-engagement forwarded to the Iloilo Provincial Capitol.
Cordero added that the re-engagement is going through many offices, so it takes time to reach Gov. Arthur Defensor for approval and signing. Another reason for the delay, according to the administrative officer of IPH, is the drug test requirement this year.
According to Mae Appari, the administrative officer of the hospital, the re-engagement was already signed by the governor last Friday, and the salaries of the nurses and employees of the IPH are now being processed. Dr. Cordero assured that the next salary of the hospital employees would not be delayed.
Meanwhile, for the Alliance of Health Workers Panay, the delayed release of salaries and benefits is a violation of the workers’ rights. The group strongly calls to end the contractualization of employees. They also called for a greater budget for health and other social services./PT
