Confusion arises in govt employees’ salary hike

Several members of the House of Representatives will be meeting with Office of Personnel Management director Isidro Seman and other agency officials today in the hopes of ironing out the confusion brought by differing interpretation of the salary hike law, Public Law 19-83.

That law set a new base salary schedule for classified civil service government employees and increased the salary ceiling for classified civil service government employees.

It also increased the compensation of the governor, lieutenant governor, and members of the Legislature but this section is on hold after the Office of the Attorney General filed a lawsuit against it.

Rep. Gregorio M. Sablan Jr. (R-Saipan) set the meeting with OPM at 9:30am. He called OPM’s attention after some civil service employees approached him on how the salary increase is being implemented at the department and division levels.

“There are a lot of issues and concerns regarding PL 19-83 and how it is being implemented to the department level. We’re just trying to get some clarification. There has been some sort of confusion. I guess there are some loopholes in how it was implemented,” said Sablan.

“We just want clarification and to fix the problems, because it is not fair to some. Imagine, if we came in at the same time but because you’re step 12 and I’m not, you’re going to get retroactive pay and I won’t. We’re just trying to fix this to be fair to all.”

Rep. Angel A. Demapan (R-Saipan), the House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee chair, said that OPM has provided new information on the salary adjustments stated in PL 19-83 for civil service employees.

“The legislation, which was a product of the 19th Legislature, was formulated pursuant to figures provided by the Executive Branch, so we are concerned and eager to find out what led to the discrepancy in the needed funding,” Demapan said.

“Nonetheless, once we are furnished with this new information, I don’t see any issue with regards to acting on necessary legislation to correct this deficiency,” he added

Sablan echoed Demapan, adding they need to clarify how the law is being implemented and interpreted, to see if the Legislature will be obliged to pass a measure to fix it in order to be fair to all civil service employees.

“We need to clarify how it is being implemented and interpreted at the department or division levels. There are different interpretations by OPM on what is the intention and purpose of the Legislature on PL 19-83. We need to [have] the same mindset,” added the former Veterans Affairs director.

Sablan said a lot of government employees approached him and raised their concerns. “The law was established to retroactively pay employees who were frozen at Step 12. That’s why we are trying to get clarification on the implementation of the 5-percent increase.”

“Is it across the board, meaning those not only at pay level 12 and those that have been stuck where they’re at and why can’t we move them up where they need to be at what pay level? And maybe, depending on funding availability, we can reimburse them or retroactively pay them.

If not, at least put them at the right salary or pay scale where they need to be.”

He added that most civil servants stayed with their respective agencies, departments, and divisions when the government implemented the austerity measure, where operations were cut to 72 hours and then to 62 hours. “These people stayed and continued to serve. And when they lifted the austerity measure they only got one step level increase.”