WHILE the University of Santo Tomas Hospital (USTH) administrators are getting pay cuts, its employees will be enjoying wage increases starting this month.
Based on last year’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between USTH and the Sandigan ng mga Manggagawa sa USTH (SM-USTH), employees will be getting a P1,200 monthly wage increase and a P45 daily meal allowance. But the increase is coming during a tough time for the hospital.
“The wage increase certainly affects the financial status of the hospital,” said Dr. Mateo Bagsic, USTH Chief Administrative Officer. “But the employees should not be worried about not getting their salaries because the hospital is doing everything else to cut costs.”
According to Bagsic, stringent measures have been adopted to cut expenses, including a huge cut in the salary of top hospital officials that saved about P6 million.
The Varsitarian earlier reported that USTH has been suffering from a P62-million debt as of May 31 this year—a problem that began seven years ago “due to rising costs.”
SM-USTH members have reportedly foregone their P20 emergency cost of living allowance to ease the hospital’s expenditures, but would pursue the wage increases agreed upon in the CBA.
“May mga paraan para ma-solve ang (financial problem) pero when it comes to the salary of employees, since naka-negotiate na ‘yan, hindi na puwedeng baguhin ‘yan,” said SM-USTH president Joseph de Leon.
Pursuant to the CBA, USTH employees received P1,400 last year and will again receive another P1,200 wage increase in October next year. R. D. Tan
