Gov’t contractual workers can

get work-related accident pay

A contractual ambulance driver of a local government unit, unfortunately meets vehicular accident while rushing a patient to the hospital. Who would be there to help?

For a conscientious mayor whose administration benefits from the driver’s service, he would be forced to dig from his own pockets in aid for the treatment and hospitalization, or funeral assistance, if the driver is in a serious accident .

For others, nothing. Nada.

From his personal money, politicians are ‘forced’ to help, and a few thousand pesos may not be enough.

There, however is a simple, legal way to get the ambulance driver and all contractual, casual or job-order (JO) workers social security coverage.

The absence of employer-employee relationship when the government hires contractual job -order (JO) workers may ban local government from securing their benefits for government workers, that does not stop the government from over-stretching a bit, asserts Social Security System Vice President for the Visayas, Atty Alberto Montalbo.

In a press conference held after a Run After Contribution Evaders (RACE) campaign in Tagbilaran City last week, Atty. Montalbo, along with SSS Legal Department officer Marco Antonio Pacoli and Tagbilaran City Bohol Field Office head Engr Alieta Basubas all revealed however that not all LGUS in Bohol are as receptive to the solution of the problem on accident insurance coverage for casual and contractual workers.

While, SSS membership is compulsory among all the employees in the private sector, how can the government, the largest employer in the country, get past the GSIS exclusion?

Register them as self employed and let the LGU become a KaltaSSS Collect Program partner, the soft-spoken Atty Montalbo said.

And just how would the LGU or national government agency exactly do that?

By signing in a Memorandum of Agreement with the SSS to register their non-GSIS workers or only those who would opt for the program, this authorizes the LGU or the NGA to collect and remit the monthly contributions of these enrolled workers through a salary deduction scheme.

Is this even legal?

Yes, asserts the SSS, and like what the other local government units and national government agencies are doing, they signed the MOA with the SSS, as coverage and collection partners to collect and remit the monthly contributions under the KaltaSSS Collect Program.

It is the worker’s pay that is deducted and all the LGU needs is for the Treasurer’s Office personnel to add one more column in payroll to accommodate the deduction.

Is it an additional work for the regular workers? Or better yet, how is it different from deductions for loan payments to private lending companies done inside the office?

The MOA has been reviewed and scrutinized by the Government Corporate Counsel, and in fact, the Department of Interior and Local Government, Bureau of Immigration are among those in the program, according to Atty Montalbo.

In Bohol, SSS Bohol head Engr. Basubas shared that nearly 20 LGUS has signed their MOAs with the SSS for their employees’ coverage.

Now, as self-employed SSS members, the employees would be entitled to receive social security benefits such as sickness, maternity, disability, retirement, funeral and death benefits.

Moreover, they may apply for various member loans offered by SSS such as salary and calamity loans, like any regular SSS Member.

In fact, recently, the government said self-employed members also get additional coverage from the Employees' Compensation Program (ECP) for work-related contingencies.

As such, had the LGU registered the ambulance driver to the SSS, he could get hospitalization aid from his sickness benefits, and a separate employees compensation benefits for the accident.

And the mayor need not dig from his own pockets to help the driver. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

DOUBLE BENEFIT. SSS Bohol head Engr Alieta Basubas revealed that with the self-employed membership for casual and contractual workers now available, a worker who meets an accident while at work can be doubly compensated: the SSS medical benefit and the Employees Compensation, for the P10 additional contributions in the monthly premium. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)