MANILA — Progressive lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives on Monday filed a measure prohibiting all forms of labor contractualization in the public sector.
The seven-member bloc filed House Bill No. 7415, which seeks to provide security of tenure and civil service eligibility for all non-regular employees who have worked continuously for at least six months in the government.
Members of the Makabayan bloc are Gabriela Reps. Arlene Brosas and Emmi de Jesus, ACT Teacher Reps. Antonio Tinio and France Castro, Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate, Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao, and Kabataan Rep. Sarah Elago.
The government offices covered in the bill include national government agencies, local government units, state universities and colleges, government-owned and controlled corporations, and all other government instrumentalities.
A similar measure, which seeks to strengthen the security of tenure of workers in the private sector, has been approved on final reading.
In a statement, Tinio said the government should prohibit and penalize the abuse in the use of contracts of service (COS) and job orders (JOs), as well as grant regular items to all qualified contractual workers.
“Labor contractualization, in all its forms, goes against the Constitutional mandate to promote full employment for all. Employees in both the public and private sectors must be regularized,” Tinio said.
Tinio noted the number of COS and JOs has ballooned to 721,282 as of July 2016.
“Majority of these workers are at the forefront of the delivery of social services like social workers and personnel for the distribution of the 4Ps under the Department of Social Welfare and Development and clerks and other administrative and support personnel under the Department of Education. They are left suffering, deprived of job security, decent salaries, and benefits,” he said.
The progressive lawmakers also called for the scrapping of Joint Circular 1, s. 2017 issued by the Department of Budget and Management, Civil Service Commission and Commission on Audit which allows government agencies to hire JOs and COS instead of ending contractualization in the public sector. (PNA)
