The Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) is eyeing the standardization of wages for job-order and casual workers to meet appeals for increase in pay in the local government service.

This was announced by PGBh Human Resource Management and Development Office (HRMDO) chief Mariquit Derikito-Oppus in response to the appeal of the Provincial Motor Pool Office to raise pay for heavy equipment drivers and operators during a meeting of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s Committee on Budget and Appropriations.

According to Oppus, the HRMDO is planning to impose standardized wages for all job-order and casual workers of the provincial government in line with a directive issued by the Civil Service Commission.

“HR’s marching orders now is to standardize our fees. Dili ra ang motor pool ang kinahanglan nato e-address in the matter of salaries or rates. It has to be everybody else—the hospitals, engineering, even the SP,” said Oppus.

However, she appealed for more time to craft the new wage rates in accordance with the government’s available budget.

“This is for job orders and also contracts of service kay naa pud tay contracts of service na dili technical pero taas pag sweldo sa technical, so we are looking at that—kadtong skilled, non-skilled, and give us time for that,” Oppus added.

She also noted that the government would not be able to grant requests for retroactive application of any increase in rates due to budget constraints.

“We suggest in HR that any and all increase should be prospective. Because there are offices asking us also but we cannot do that because we do not have the budget,” she said.

For her part, Provincial Administrator Aster Caberte acknowledged the HRMDO’s proposal for standardized wages.

She noted however that vacant positions in the various government offices including the Provincial Motor Pool need to be filled up first before any increase in wages is imposed.

The official admitted the need for a wage increase for heavy equipment drivers and operators of the motor pool.

“Those heavy equipment mahal kaayo ang atong investment ana unya for the responsibility mura’g barato ra ta kaayo og bayad of taking care of the heavy equipment and we’re also looking at the revenues of the motor pool, and maayo sila. So we really have to invest on people,” Caberte said. (A. Doydora)