House bill to hike poll employees’ pay

The Commission on Elections Employees’ Union (Comelec-EU) has hailed a bill filed at the House of Representatives seeking to upgrade the salary of all the employees of the poll body and the reorganization of its field offices.

“We are happy that a bill seeking to correct the longstanding injustice suffered by thousands of Comelec employees when it comes to our dismally outdated salary is introduced in Congress,” said Mac Ramirez, national president of the Comelec-EU.

Ramirez called on all the legislators to support the bill.

House Bill No. 8111 proposes the reorganization of Comelec field offices and upgrading the positions of election officers to election specialists with rank equivalent to Director I regardless of their place of assignment; provincial election supervisors to provincial election directors with rank equivalent to Director II regardless of the number of registered voters; and assistant election specialists with Salary Grade 21.

The bill also proposes the creation of the positions of five district election directors in the National Capital Region with ranks equivalent to Director II.

The bill likewise calls for the reclassification and upgrading of all the positions in the Comelec main office.