The Alliance of Concerned Teachers has asked the Commission on Elections to give extra pay to teachers who were forced to extend their working hours due to the defective SD cards.
In its letter to poll chairman Sheriff Abas, ACT also asked the Comelec for an urgent dialogue set on Monday, May 20, to discuss the matter.
ACT claimed that the glitch on SD cards have forced thousands of teachers to render poll service more than twice the time of the required period of service.
In an earlier statement, Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said around 1,000 SD cards have encountered issues causing 450 vote counting machines to malfunction.
“The voting process in the precincts proceeded due mainly to the invaluable service and sacrifice of our teacher-poll-workers,” ACT said the letter.
It added the unfortunate but not inevitable issues have resulted in the teachers’ loss of time to rest and be with their families, as well as loss of opportunity to find other sources of income to make ends meet.
If added that the teachers will no longer have enough time to recuperate since they will have to render another service as DepEd’s Brigada Eskwela kicks off next week, followed by in-service trainings for teachers, then school opening.
“Teachers had no choice but to stay with the VCMs as votes cannot be counted and results cannot be transmitted without functional SD cards, even if it meant staying at the precincts for two, three days straight,” ACT secretary general Raymond Basilio said in a press statement.
“They more than deserve to be given additional compensation at overtime rates,” he added.
“Honest labor should be accorded just compensation. Let us bring justice to hardworking teachers whose sacrifices are unparalleled by giving them just pay for their invaluable election service,” Basilio said.
