MIAA Contractual Employees Protest Return Of Hazard Pay

Frontline workers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have resorted to donning black armbands to protest the Commission on Audit’s order for their return of hazard pay that President Duterte stipulated to serve as an incentive for them to be present at their place of work during the enhanced community quarantine due to COVID-19

Photo Insert: Repatriated OFWs facilitating documents upon arrival at NAIA.

That hazard pay of P500 per day set forth under Administrative Order No. 26 series of 2020 that was signed by President Duterte was aimed at ensuring that workers at NAIA that include contractual employees are present at the premier airport and thereby assure the continued operation of the said gateway to the country.

As a result, the contractual workers at NAIA took loans for them to be able to have bikes or motorcycles and assure the continued operation of the premier airport even with the havoc created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the COA disallowed the said grant of hazard pay that affects over 1,000 Manila International Airport Authority resulting in the protest action by the workers who sacrificed so much for them to service the requirements of the premier gateway.

The workers maintain that they should not return the hazard pay citing a tweet from the MIAA management that assured them of the grant of the extra pay to ensure their presence at the airport.

Now, they are at a loss as the return of the hazard pay for what they have sacrificed for the country will cut into their budgets for food and amortization for the loans they contracted so that they can buy the bikes and motorcycles for them to go to work during the height of the pandemic starting last March 2020.

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