A COALITION of labor groups on Sunday slammed the “midnight perks and benefits” being planned for Social Security System president and chief executive Emilio de Quiros, chairman Juan Santos and other top executives once the salary and benefits restructuring scheme is approved by its board.
The Nagkaisa Coalition said De Quiros stood to get an increase of P500,000 from the SSS coffers in his monthly pay alone once the SSS-proposed compensation and position classification system in all government-owned and -controlled corporations and other government financial institutions was approved.
Alan Tanjusay, spokesman of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, said De Quiros would also get an additional P300,000 in benefits and privileges.
But around 1,000 rank-and-file workers would not get any increase.
“In the light of the very recent veto action of President Benigno Aquino III to the proposed P2,000 pension increase for 2.4 million pensioners, we strongly oppose the plan to increase the salaries and benefits of SSS top executives including De Quiros and SSS chairman Juan Santos,” Nagkaisa said in a statement.
“As paying members and as representatives of the millions of SSS paying members, we demand that Mr. De Quiros and Mr. Santos be severed from SSS in order for the plan to be stopped. It is unjust for De Quiros and Santos to tinker with it to enrich themselves at the expense of the workers’ blood money.”
Drafted by the Good Governance Commission for the Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporations, EO 203 was signed by President Benigno Aquino III and Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa on March 22, 2016, “adopting a compensation and position classification system and a general index of occupational services and for the GOCC sector covered by Republic Act No. 10149, and for other purposes.”
Tanjusay said they learned that De Quiros and Santos were actively lobbying in the SSS board and among the SSS’ rank-and-file workers for the immediate approval of the SSS-proposed CPCS before the Duterte administration assumed office on June 30.
The salary and benefits restructuring plan came after SSS’ top management turned down a plan to extend the maternity leave in the private sector from 60 to 78 days to 100 days.