Health workers march for higher wages

MANILA, Philippines — Health workers from public and private hospitals held a nationwide protest yesterday, Health Workers’ Day, urging the government to address issues affecting the health sector.

The Health Workers United for Wage Increase (HWUWI) coalition is demanding an entry-level salary of P33,000 for public and private health workers, and the release of unpaid benefits such as health emergency allowances and performance-based bonuses for 2021-2023 for public health workers.

The coalition is also calling for job security and mass hiring of permanent health workers to augment severe understaffing in public hospitals and health facilities.

“Instead of celebrating, we are here on the street protesting because of the government’s continued negligence when it comes to health workers and people’s needs,” said HWUWI convenor and Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) national president Robert Mendoza.

Health workers are still waiting for their “much deserved and long-overdue health emergency allowance,” said St. Luke’s Medical Center Employees Association president Roldan Clumia.

“We demand transparency from the Department of Health. They should provide us with a copy of the final list of private and (local government unit) hospitals and health facilities that were not yet given their COVID-19 allowances,” said Clumia, who is also an HWUWI convenor.

Public health services have worsened due to severe understaffing and the nurse-to-patient ratio has widened, said AHW secretary general Cristy Donguines.

“Patients in wards and outpatient departments have quadrupled as compared to previous years,” she added.

Apart from the protest march to Mendiola in Manila yesterday, AHW unions and chapters in Baguio City, Iloilo, Bacolod, Cebu, Soccsksargen, Camarines Norte and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao also held simultaneous protest actions.

Workers’ groups are expecting the House of Representatives to grant today their demand for a P150 legislated wage hike.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) expressed confidence that at the House committee on labor and employment hearing, Congress will give workers the “long overdue and much-deserved” legislated