A DEPUTY speaker has filed a resolution asking the House of Representatives to look into the status of casual and contractual employment in the government with the end in view of determining the possibility of regularizing them to guarantee their security of tenure.
In House Resolution 177, Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto said that out of the 1.75 million government employees, 1,597,973 hold permanent or regular employment status while around 157,000 were appointed as casual or contractual employees.
“The aforesaid number does not include the huge number of job-order employees in the government totaling approximately 580,000 who are hired for a short duration and who are not covered by the civil service rules and regulations, but are being paid through the maintenance and other operating expenses of the agencies,” he added.
Recto also said it is important for Congress to call the attention of the Department of Budget and Management and the government agencies concerned to review, study and update, if necessary, the approved staffing pattern and manpower complement of the government agencies to ascertain the need for the regularization of its casual and contractual positions.
“It is also necessary for Congress to determine the extent of casual and contractual employment in the government and the necessary costs to regularize the said positions to come up with a legislative measure that will protect the welfare of our civil servants while at the same time taking into account fiscal responsibility,” he added.
According to Recto, the casual and contractual government employees enjoy the same benefits as the permanent or regular employees except for the security of tenure.
A number of the casual and contractual government employees are appointed on a fixed period and may be terminated if the agency no longer needs their services, he said.
“Despite the fixed-term appointment as provided by civil service rules and regulations, many of the casual and contractual government employees have been continuously appointed to government service with some staying in the service for more than five years,” he added.
“Despite the many years that they have been in the government service, the casual and contractual employees cannot be made permanent due to the absence of permanent or regular plantilla items in their respective agencies,” Recto added.
Notwithstanding the Presidential veto, Recto said both Houses of Congress have strongly advocated and pushed for the approval of the Security of Tenure and End of “Endo” bill to end the practice of contractualization in the private sector.
Currently, several lawmakers have refiled bills seeking to end the “endo.”
In the interest of fairness, Rector said the government should also apply the same policy and address the issues on the lack of security of tenure of its casual and contractual employees and consider the same for its job order personnel.
The lawmaker said the Congress must determine the status of casual and contractual employment in the government and eventually start a process that would bring these employees to the regular government workforce.