Rota resident Dexter Apatang, who is also the president of Parent Teacher and Student Association, and Councilman Prudencio A. Manglona went to the Senate on Wednesday hoping they could convince the lawmakers to consider their concerns before acting on the budget bill.
Noting that the prices of commodity, fuel and power on Rota are much higher compared to Saipan’s, Rota government workers are always at an “economic disadvantage,” Apatang said.
Rota government employees have to spend more whether they like it or not, he added.
“Those who receive low salaries will suffer,” he said.
That is why Rota residents are anxious about the budget bill that proposes pay cuts.
“We on Rota hope the Senate will consider the concerns of employees receiving below $20,000 annually,” Apatang said, adding that the lowly paid “have sacrificed enough.”
“A 16-hour pay cut and unpaid holidays will make it more difficult for them to make both ends meet,” he said.
Apatang said he likes the idea of imposing pay cuts based on salary brackets. He said he also talked to the members of the House minority about this issue.
He said close to 200 residents on Rota are government employees.
