Senator Joel Villanueva hailed the issuance of a joint circular covering the salary continuance of government contractual workers during the duration of the enhanced community quarantine now being enforced in Luzon because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Villanueva, chair of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resource Development said over 660,000 contractual workers in the government stand to benefit from the decision to continue the salary payments of those classified as job order (JO) and contract of service (COS) workers.
“Higit sa 660,000 na mga JO at COS na manggagawa po ang matutulungan natin sa hakbang na ito. Mapapanatag ang kalooban ng ating mga kasamahan na JO at COS dahil makakaya nilang tustusan ang pangangailangan ng kani-kanilang mga pamilya habang umiiral ang quarantine dito sa ating bayan,” the veteran legislator said.
“The move will also help the government keep workers and their families at their homes.”
The seasoned lawmaker stressed the move will also help the government keep workers and their families at their homes because of the assurance that people will still be able to provide for their basic needs in the next few weeks.
Given that JO and COS workers do not get paid if they do not report to work, the senator said workers might not be able to cover the needs of their families even if their offices or agencies are implementing alternative work arrangements such as skeleton staffing and working from home, among others.
This circular provides relief for our JO and COS workers and eases their concerns of providing for their families.”
“While some still report to work, their pay could significantly shrink because no work means no pay. This circular provides relief for our JO and COS workers and eases their concerns of providing for their families,” he said. “This gesture truly is a step in the right direction as we need the entire government to move in unison to manage the impact of COVID-19 to our country.”
Joint Circular No. 1, issued by the Commission on Audit and Department of Budget and Management, covers all JO and COS workers engaged by “Departments, Bureaus, Offices, and Agencies of the National Government, including Constitutional Offices, [State Universities and Colleges], [Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporations], [Local Water Districts], for the duration of the State of Calamity and Community Quarantine due to COVID-19.”
Data from the Civil Service Commission shows that of the 2.4 million workers in government, over 660,000 workers fall under job orders or contract of service. Some 360,000 government contractual workers are in Luzon, where the national government ordered an enhanced community quarantine until April due to COVID-19.