Government workers are guaranteed to receive annual salary increases until 2013, way beyond the term of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

The President has assured more than 1.5 million state workers of pay increases which will come in three more batches as prescribed under the Salary Standardization Law III.

The first batch of the salary benefits for the government workforce was already given in July, 2009. The next round of salary increases for government workers will be released in July, according to the President.

The SSL3, which improved the pay and position scale civilian personnel and the base pay schedule of military and uniformed personnel in the government to be at part with the private sector, was signed by the President last year.

During the 16th anniversary of the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) held at the commission’s headquarters last Tuesday, the

President said “bitter but necessary economic and financial reforms” have raised government revenues that enabled the administration to increase salaries of its hardworking employees.

She said the 12 percent expanded value added tax law (E-VAT) was the main source of “fresh funds which we reinvested in our people  through expanded and improved education, social services, infrastructure, and salary increases.”

“The latest (salary) increase was granted in July last year and that covered everyone in government service including teachers in the SUCs (state universities and colleges), specialized schools and of course as well as the staff in the Commission on Higher Education,” the President said.

“Because of the Salary Standardization Law that we enacted during my administration, even when I am no longer (president), you will continue to receive increases for the next three years," she said.

The SSL 3, calibrated in four years, is estimated to cost the government P109 billion. It is guided by several principles, including equal pay for work of equal value, comparability with private sector compensation, performance-based incentive scheme, and fiscally-supportable, modest and reasonable.

Under the SSL3, a Teacher I getting a monthly basic pay of P12,206 today will see his or her salary rise to P18,088 in four years. The monthly salary pay of a Master Teacher I will jump to P27,908 in 2012 from the present P17,059.

Doctors and nurses will be getting salary hikes of between 34 percent to 69 percent, although on a staggered basis.