ORGANIZED public-sector labor unions have asked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to put a total stop to job contracting and contractualization in the government sector.
Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLink) made the call after the President ordered the extension of the hiring of job order and contract-of-service workers in government until Dec. 31, 2025.
PSLink is a national confederation of public sector unions from national government agencies, local government units, state and local universities and colleges, and government-owned and controlled corporations.
In a statement, the group also urged the President to revoke Joint Circular (JC) 1, series of 2017, and subsequent similar circulars that allowed for contractual work in the public sector instead of ensuring the security of tenure of civil servants.
JC 1, issued by the Civil Service Commission, Commission on Audit, and Department of Budget and Management, prescribed new rules and regulations governing the hiring of contract of service and job order workers in government until Dec. 31, 2018.
According to the group, since the issuance of JC 1 and similar subsequent circulars, the number of job orders and contract-of-service workers has ballooned to 832,812, based on the CSC Inventory of Government Human Resources as of June 30, 2023.
"It's no different from renewing an ENDO (end of contract) worker in the private sector for another six months or so. Extending the deadline in the engagement of individual contract of service and job order workers does not address the worsening contractualization in the public sector," said PSLink President Annie Enriquez Geron.
"[Contractual workers] will continue to live in fear of losing their jobs and failing to support their families. They will continue to be paid subpar wages and excluded from mandatory benefits and social protection," Geron said.
Further, she said they could not exercise their rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining as "they are not considered government employees under existing laws."
Likewise, the group called on the President and leaders of Congress to immediately act on the bills that seek to ensure the fundamental rights of government workers to regular jobs, freedom of association and living wage.
"We urge President Marcos to address the widespread contractualization and informalization in government and certify as urgent the passage of the Security of Tenure Act for government workers, regularizing entitled job orders and contract of service and prohibiting exploitative contractual work arrangements," PSLink said.
It pointed out that, amid spiraling costs of goods and services, workers need a substantial wage hike and an increase in the Personnel Economic Relief Allowance (PERA) for government workers.
"We hope that the President will certify as urgent the passage of the Public Services Labor Relations Act, the proposed bill increasing PERA to P6,000 and a fair Salary Standardization Law that will ensure living wages for rank-and-file government employees and address wage inequities, including the disparity of wages between national and local government employees," it said.
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