On Monday, June 28, PGH awakened with a mass circulated paper from a group who introduced themselves as "Mga Tunay na PGH Concerned Employees." The statement were placed under the doorways of administrative offices probably on Sunday night. The statement condemned the alleged coercive solicitation of orders by their supervisors and office heads in favor to a particular corporate seamstress for the PGH 2005 uniform of administrative employees. The statement tickled the All UP Workers Union Manila on why the union allows those things to happen and lambaste the PGH Administration for allegedly "natutulog sa kangkungan o kaya'y nagbubulag-bulagan."
To set the record straight, during the dialogue of the union with Director Alfiler on June 11, 2004, we have already vioced our concern on the Memorandum dated June 8, 2004 coming from Mrs. Teresita Venturina who claimed to be the Head, Administrative Unit, PGH 2004 Uniform Committee. The memo which were likely circulated on all administrative units alleged that: "the PGH Uniform Committee has already approved a new sets of uniform for administrative employees of PGH" and so therefore it now "request you to accomplish the attached order forms (prices included) and submit them to Mrs. Venturina on or before June 25, 2004." The memo also mentioned: "La Marina gave the best offers/terms has been chosen as provider of the uniforms..." Our concern was that the PGH and U.P. Manila Uniform Committees' has already agreed that individual administrative employees of PGH or UP Manila shall be given the freedom of choosing his/her own seamstress for the 2004 uniform. The only matters that will be decided and recommended for approval by the PGH Director or the UP Manila Chancellor will be the cut, cloth and color of uniform. In which Director Alfiler promised to look into the matter.
To further bolster our concern, the Union Chapter President made a letter/query also this Monday, June 28, to the Chair of the PGH 2004 Uniform Committee to express our concern that any solicitation for orders to a particular seamtress at this time may constitute an illegal act considering that both the PGH and UP Manila Uniform Committees have yet made a final recommendation for the cut, cloth and color for the 2005 uniform of administrative employees. Also, a Memorandum is yet to be issued coming from the UP Manila Chancellor or the PGH Director specifying the approved cut, color and cloth for the 2005 uniform. Our letter further request the Chair, "to enjoin Mrs. Venturina and those concerned supervisors and office heads to cease and desist from their misrepresentation and coercive activities." Copies of the letter were furnished to the UP Manila Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor for Administration and the PGH Director.
On Wednesday, June 30, we were met with a power failure in the Ermita area (including PGH/UP Manila) starting from about 8:00 AM to around 12:00 noon. The cause was a fallen MERALCO post along Kalaw St. in Luneta where the 14th President of the Rebublic, Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo delivers her inagural address at the nearby Quirino Grandstand at around 8:00 in the morning. PGH has its own generator, but power was limited only on Special Areas, the Intensive Care Units and lights at hallways.
Around 10:40 the entire PGH and UP Manila community went agog on the report that one of our Utility Worker in the name of Christopher Florin slipped from the 8th Floor of the PGH Central Block Building and fell at the 4th Floor right front canopy just besides the DPPS Chief Nurse's Office. The Chief Nurse Mrs. Eden Bayrante and her daughter Fritzie (who's also a student of UP Manila) noticed it, and went outside of the office screaming for help at the nearby Nurses Station of the RCB1 4th Floor. Two Nurses, a Nursing Attendant, a Utility Worker and a Security Guard, immediately went into action and brought the body of the dying colleague in the Emergency Room. Personnel at the ER tried everything they could to revive Chris (as we fondly called Mr. Florin) but succumbed to massive internal bleeding and multiple fractures including his skull.
The Router's Log Book of the Division of Nursing Education and Training (DNET) that earlier was given to Chris was later discovered besides the doorway leading to the Rooftop Garden at the 8th Floor. Shoes skids marks were also discovered at the rooftiles leading to the roof edge where Chhris probably slipped.
We are conveying our deepest sympathy to his wife Adora (who was also a clerk at the PGH Medical Record's Division) and to their four kids.
The union will visit Chris' wake this Friday, July 2. The Union's contribution includes P2,000.00 as Death Assistance Benefit, while the Manila Chapter will add P3,000.00 as Special Assistance.
Tommorow, Friday, July 2, the National Executive Board will have its 21st Meeting at 9:00 AM, while at around 1:30 PM, Manila Chapter will have its 4th Meeting of Unit Representatives. Primary agenda of said meetings will still be on our demand for quarterly rice subsidy. Add to this will we the demand by all government workers for the P3,000.00 acros the board monthly salary increase. The demand for salary increase will be coordinated nationwide by COURAGE, AHW and ACT.
Thursday, July 01, 2004
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
AUPWU Manila Held Dialogues With UP Manila Chancellor and PGH Director: Rice Subsidy for PGH/UP Manila Employees Almost in the Bag
The last negotiation with UP, particularly in the UMCB on May 24, 2004 in UP Manila, ended in a deadlock . As a result everyone's asking us: "When will be the next delivery of our rice subsidy? We in the All UP Workers Union in Manila, initiated dialogues with the UP Manila Chancellor, Dr. Marita V.T. Reyes and PGH Director, Dr. Carmelo A. Alfiler on June 11, 2004 and June 18, 2004, respectively.
The dialogue with the Chancellor was called by the Chancellor herself to report the good news that the first three months (January-March 2004) of Hazard Pay for UP Manila Academic Units will be given by next week. This was made possible because the Internal Operating Budget (IOB) of UP Manila has been approved by the UP BOR in which the UP Manila Administration has inserted an amount of seven million pesos (P7,000,000.00) in the Revolving Fund as Hazard Pay benefit. Meanwhile, the monthly Hazard Pay for the rest of the year maybe given only near the end of the year in view of the previous years's (2003) BOR ruling on the use of savings.
It must be recalled that the BOR has ruled last year that any amount for Hazard Pay of UP Manila Academic Units (which shall be taken from savings) could only be given near the end of the year (last quarter of each year). According to the BOR, it was only during that time that actual savings maybe realized. The Hazard Pay of PGH staff has been included in the General Appropriations Act since 1996.
After the good news from the Chancellor, the Chapter officials took this opportunity to request the Chancellor if she could categorically declare and take stand during the next PAC Meeting in July that PGH and UP Manila could give the rice subsidy over and above the P5,000.00 alloted for the Year-end Incentive Bonus. In reply, Chancellor Marita not only answered on the affirmative but stated as well that she and the PGH Director has already declared this since the May 2004 PAC Meeting. That UP Manila and PGH can afford to give at least two sacks of rice per employee for 2004. If needed, it maybe given starting this June. The amount will be taken from the accumulated savings for the past six months. She further related to us that it was VP Echanis and Chancellor Roman of (UP Diliman) who opposes the giving of the rice subsidy this year because of the perceived difficulty in the DBM releases and the slack in enrollment for the coming School Year.
Meanwhile, our dialogue with the PGH Director only affirmed what the Chancellor had already told to us. Director Alfiler further added that the PGH Administration is also planning of putting up a pre-hospital benefit for immediate family members of PGH employees at very minimal cost, probably a regular regular medical check-up. In which one of the Director's Assistant, Dr. Michael Tee reminded the Union of our previous agreement, for the Union to help in the formulation of guidelines.
In the light of this development in UP Manila, and considering that the administrative employees of UP Manila (with PGH) comprises about half of the entire administrative personnel complement of the entire UP System, we in UP Manila do feel that it is now in the hands of UP Administration to decide whether to give or not to give our demand for a quarterly rice subsidy this year. Meanwhile, the alleged lack of savings from UP Visayas and UP Mindanao, could very well be covered by the savings from the UP Central Administration
The dialogue with the Chancellor was called by the Chancellor herself to report the good news that the first three months (January-March 2004) of Hazard Pay for UP Manila Academic Units will be given by next week. This was made possible because the Internal Operating Budget (IOB) of UP Manila has been approved by the UP BOR in which the UP Manila Administration has inserted an amount of seven million pesos (P7,000,000.00) in the Revolving Fund as Hazard Pay benefit. Meanwhile, the monthly Hazard Pay for the rest of the year maybe given only near the end of the year in view of the previous years's (2003) BOR ruling on the use of savings.
It must be recalled that the BOR has ruled last year that any amount for Hazard Pay of UP Manila Academic Units (which shall be taken from savings) could only be given near the end of the year (last quarter of each year). According to the BOR, it was only during that time that actual savings maybe realized. The Hazard Pay of PGH staff has been included in the General Appropriations Act since 1996.
After the good news from the Chancellor, the Chapter officials took this opportunity to request the Chancellor if she could categorically declare and take stand during the next PAC Meeting in July that PGH and UP Manila could give the rice subsidy over and above the P5,000.00 alloted for the Year-end Incentive Bonus. In reply, Chancellor Marita not only answered on the affirmative but stated as well that she and the PGH Director has already declared this since the May 2004 PAC Meeting. That UP Manila and PGH can afford to give at least two sacks of rice per employee for 2004. If needed, it maybe given starting this June. The amount will be taken from the accumulated savings for the past six months. She further related to us that it was VP Echanis and Chancellor Roman of (UP Diliman) who opposes the giving of the rice subsidy this year because of the perceived difficulty in the DBM releases and the slack in enrollment for the coming School Year.
Meanwhile, our dialogue with the PGH Director only affirmed what the Chancellor had already told to us. Director Alfiler further added that the PGH Administration is also planning of putting up a pre-hospital benefit for immediate family members of PGH employees at very minimal cost, probably a regular regular medical check-up. In which one of the Director's Assistant, Dr. Michael Tee reminded the Union of our previous agreement, for the Union to help in the formulation of guidelines.
In the light of this development in UP Manila, and considering that the administrative employees of UP Manila (with PGH) comprises about half of the entire administrative personnel complement of the entire UP System, we in UP Manila do feel that it is now in the hands of UP Administration to decide whether to give or not to give our demand for a quarterly rice subsidy this year. Meanwhile, the alleged lack of savings from UP Visayas and UP Mindanao, could very well be covered by the savings from the UP Central Administration
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