FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 7, 2008

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet Morales Organizing, Information and Campaigns Assistant , PSLINK 9244710/09278307025 jnetagui_morales@yahoo.com

TRADE UNION RIGHTS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR –WEAK, STUDY SAYS

A study conducted by eight (8) national unions representing more than 250,000 workers all over the country, revealed the weaknesses of trade union rights in the civil service. The study entitled “Survey on the Effects of the Amended Executive Order 180 on Public Sector Unions and Their Right to Organize Freely, Full Collective Bargaining Rights and Their Right to Strike”, which covered one-hundred (100) unions all over the country was launched in a forum-workshop held last October 7 – in time for the celebration of the World Day for Decent Work. It also became the subject of dialogue during the forum, between unions, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and management representatives namely the Civil Service Commission (CSC), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The said study revealed that the amended Executive Order 180 which is the enabling law for public sector unionism and other laws on trade union rights in the Philippine public sector violate International Labor Organization (ILO) Conventions 87 on Freedom of Association and the ILO Convention 98 on Full Collective Bargaining, specifically due to:

• Minimum membership requirement of 30% for union registration requires more time and resources for unions, and gives management time to dissuade other employees from joining or time to isolate union leaders. CSC statistics show that newly registered unions dropped by 68% from 98 in 2004 to 31 by the middle of 2008 . • Policies which have centralized accreditation or the determination of a single union to represent all rank and file employees in an agency, have made it more difficult for unions to forge collective negotiation agreements in the public sector since it required more resources and also violated the principle of plurality of unions affirmed by international labor standards. Also according to the CSC, the number of newly accredited unions in national government agencies dropped by 70% from 27 unions in 2002 to only 8 in 2007.

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• Surprisingly, the study also affirmed the contribution of accredited unions and collective negotiation agreements in the public sector in pushing for greater accountability, transparency and efficiency in public services, thru their representation in different decision-making bodies at the workplace. • The limitations on collective negotiations in the public sector, which disallow negotiation on salary increases, monetary incentives and anything involving management discretion, is unable to address common issues and problems experienced by public sector workers, and is thus weak in improving working conditions in the government. Furthermore, there is a weak link between what can be negotiated and what benefits improve productivity among government employees. • Unions which are creative enough to negotiate benefits which would require funding find it difficult to get these implemented compared to those which are non-monetary in nature. • Most of what can be negotiated in collective negotiation agreements in the public sector have very limited added-value to improving working conditions since they mostly involve occupational health and safety provisions which are already provided by law and which any sensible manager should provide such as proper ventilation, lighting, adequate office space, and potable water to mention a few. • The right of government employees to conduct peaceful mass concerted action cannot replace the right to strike in compelling management to comply with negotiated provisions in CNAs. The study further revealed that the conduct of peaceful mass concerted action makes government employees and their unions vulnerable to management harassment.

The above-mentioned study was conducted with the support of the Public Services International (PSI), thru its Philippine affiliates namely the Alliance of Filipino Workers (AFW), the Association of Government Workers in the Water Sector (AGWWAS), the Confederation of Independent Unions (CIU), the National Power Corporation Employees’ Consolidated Union (NECU), the Philippine Government Employees Association (PGEA), the Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK), the Manila Water Supervisors Association (MWSA), and the Manila Water and Sewerage System Employees Union (MWSSEU).

“We as public sector unions have made it our mission to become agents of change raising productivity and improving efficiency in the government service. The government must remember that in its goal to improve public service a primordial step is to provide workers decent working conditions.”, said the Philippine affiliates of the Public Services International (PSI) in a joint statement read to the press during the forum-workshop. “Civil servants take care of the Filipino people through the services we provide. But no one takes care of us?”, added Ms. Emako Naldoza Women’s Committee Chairperson of the PSI. The group demanded that the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Public Sector Labor Management Council (PSLMC), a quasi-judicial policy-making body in the public sector work and consult closely with the unions to bring down the minimum union membership requirements for registration, decentralizing accreditation and collective negotiations, widening the scope of what can be negotiated in the public sector, strict monitoring and sanctions for agency compliance on collective agreements and the limited right to strike. ###

The Public Services International (PSI), is a global union federation of 24 million public service workers from all over the world. PSI conducts campaigns on decent work, trade union rights, quality public services and social dialogue thru researches, production of campaign materials, awareness raising activities, and trainings. Here in the Philippines, The PSI is recognized and enjoys consultative status with the International Trade Union Congress (ITUC), the Trade Union Advisory Council (TUAC), the International Labor Organization (ILO), the United Nations and the Asian Development Bank.