Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman (C), CSC Chairperson Karlo Alexei Nograles (R) and GCG Chairperson Alex Quiroz show the signed joint circular in a ceremony at the DBM Central Office in San Miguel, Manila on Tuesday. (Photo by Janna Marie Pineda/PIA-NCR)

QUEZON CITY, (PIA) — The Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Governance Commission for Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations (GCG) signed a joint circular to ensure the effective implementation of guidelines for the granting of night shift differential pay to government employees.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, CSC Chairperson Karlo Alexei Nograles and GCG chairperson Alex Quiroz signed the joint circular in a ceremony at the DBM Central Office in San Miguel, Manila on Tuesday.

Secretary Pangandaman said the signing of the joint circular will pave the way for the “uniformed” interpretation, as well as for the “effective and efficient” enactment of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 11071.

“This is your government appreciating all of you, our modern-day heroes who are going the extra mile and working longer hours out of their sheer sense of public service and are greatly contributing to the reactivation of our country,” Pangandaman said.

For his part, Nograles said the ceremonial signing of the joint circular is an important step in recognizing and appreciating the hard work of night shift civil servants, especially those who often work during the late hours due to “challenging circumstances,” including the coronavirus pandemic.

He said providing a “fair” compensation to government workers is a testament to the government’s deep appreciation for their services and unwavering commitment to public service.

“We reaffirm our commitment to fostering a fair and equitable work environment in government. This policy aims to uplift the well-being of our government employees and ensure that their efforts during the night shifts are justly rewarded,” Nograles said.

In February this year, the CSC issued the IRR of RA 11701 granting night shift differential pay to government employees.

Under R.A. No. 11701 the night shift differential shall not exceed 20 percent of the hourly basic rate of the employee for each hour of work performed between 6:00pm and 6:00am. 

In the case of public health workers, the rate shall not be lower than 10 percent of their hourly basic rate. The pay shall also be in addition to and not in any way diminish whatever benefits and allowances are presently enjoyed by government employees.

The pay will be granted to government employees occupying position items from Division Chief and below, or their equivalent such as an Officer-In-Charge, including those in GOCCs, whether the nature of their employment is permanent, contractual, temporary, or casual.

RA 11701 does not cover government employees whose scheduled office hours fall between 6:00am to 6:00pm.

Also not covered are government employees whose services are required, or are on call, 24 hours a day such as uniformed personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, the Bureau of Fire Protection and other similarly situated as may be determined by the CSC and the DBM. (PIA-NCR)