Teno nixes hazard pay for gov’t workers

Saying the government does not have enough resources to pay additional benefits to its employees, Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio has junked a legislation that would make hazard pay mandatory for personnel exposed to occupational safety and health risks.

The measure offered by House Vice Speaker Jesus T. Attao was vetoed due to several concerns which were not addressed by legislators despite having a similar legislation put forward to the Office of the Governor in the past.

It was also one of the first bills introduced when the current members of the Legislature assumed office in January 1998, but took the House of Representatives and the Senate nearly one year and a half to vote on the proposal.

Tenorio noted that the Office of Personnel Management has existing regulations that stipulate payment of additional 25 percent on top of base salary of government workers for “any hour actually worked while exposed to the hazard” of the job.

“At this time, due to our financial situation, it would not be beneficial for the Commonwealth to start paying (hazard pay) as stipulated by this bill, whether or not one is actually engaged in hazardous work,” he said in his veto message.

Called the “Hazardous-Differential Pay Authorization Act,” the proposal was intended to make the 25 percent differential mandatory to certain positions in both civil and exempted service.

These include custodian workers, power plant operators, linemen, trade specialists assigned to water wells, corrections and enforcement officers, patrolmen, detectives, firefighters, heavy equipment operators, painters, plumbers, mechanic, carpenters and Boating Safety officers as well as the Emergency Management Office Response and Recovery Team.

Other government position had also been covered by the benefits based on criteria provided by the bill, which would also authorize OPM to implement rules and regulations.

But Tenorio considered these provisions “unclear,” citing that not all positions, like custodian workers and plumbers, are qualified to receive the benefits.

He also stressed that others, such as linemen and firefighters, are not at risk most of the time, but only part of their workhours, when they perform their duties.

The proposal “would restrict the authority vested in the OPM as far as regulating hazardous work is concerned,” the local chief executive explained, adding the agency at present has enough “flexibility” to determine whether positions meet the regulations on hazard pay.

“I believe the current regulations are adequate in protecting the rights of the employees who deserve to receive hazardous pay, and at the same time to also safeguard the taxpayers money and the public from potential abuse,” Tenorio pointed out.