DOST ‘black-shirt’ protest continues

Some 25,000 employees of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Department of Health (DOH) on Friday held the first of their planned nationwide “Black Friday” mass actions, coming to work in black shirts and black armbands and holding sit-down rallies during work breaks.

The science and health workers said they are not alarmed by threats that continuing their protest actions would cost them their benefits under a proposed law granting salary increase to all government employees.

Ramon Agustin, president of the Philippine Weathermen Employees Association (PWEA), said they want the government’s assurance that any presidential executive order that would replace the derailed Salary Standardization Law (SSL) will not scrap their Magna Carta benefits.