By Junex Doronio
MANILA — It’s paradoxical that despite being the nation’s largest employer, the government also harbors the highest count of contractual workers. This discrepancy is a focal point for national employee associations operating within the public sector.
Officials of the Public Sector Labor Management Council (PSLMC) on Monday (29 April 2024) said that with the 2024 Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) on the right of government employees to self-organize, the registration of national unions in government for Collective Negotiation Agreements (CNA) is one of the salient points of the revised rules under Executive Order No. 180 series of 1987 or Governing the Exercise of the Right of Government Employees to Self-Organize.
“We recognize, of course, that the new rules and regulations may not be perfect, considering the dynamic environment that they operate within. However, this acknowledgment should not deter us from actively shaping the trajectory of employee relations in the public sector,” Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chairperson Karlo Nograles said.
It was learned that other amendments in the IRR provide clearer qualifications and criteria for personnel eligibility to join employee organizations, the use of electronic filing of pleadings and documents and online platforms, integration of new council policies, and employee elections, among others.
“Sa pagtutulong-tulong po ng ibang departamento sa pangunguna ng Civil Service Commission, napapanatili po natin ang tinatawag na industrial peace sa public sector at sa bahagi po ng Department of Labor and Employment kami po ay nagpapahayag ng taimtim at taos-pusong pasasalamat at pagsasabi na patuloy po kami na magbibigay ng aming ambag at kontribusyon para sa kapakanan ng ating mga manggagawa sa public sector,” Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma noted.
(el Amigo/MNM)