Senators eye eligibility for contractual workers

With the tenure of non-career executive service officials expiring on Sunday, six senators seek granting civil service eligibility to temporary government workers.

Malacañang issued memorandum circular 1 that terminated so-called non-Ceso officials by July 1 along with contractual and casual employees by July 31 but the directive was superceded by circular 2 that extended their tenure until October 31.

Senators Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, Loren Legarda, Antonio Trillanes IV, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Francis Pangilinan and Ramon Revilla Jr. have filed proposals to grant civil service eligibility to contractuals.

Under Republic Act 6850, eligibility was given workers on provisional or temporary appointments if they have served for seven years as of 1990.

Estrada wants the period cut to three years of service while Legarda, Pangilinan, Revilla and Zubiri want five years.

Trillanes is pushing for 10 consecutive years, providing that those who have been in the service for 15 years are given professional civil service eligibility.

As chairman of the senate committee on civil service, he also wants eligibility extended to casuals with seven years of service in 1990.

Trillanes said village health workers with five years of service were given civil service eligibility in 1995.

“If these groups of government employees were given such privilege, the same should also be extended to other groups of similar status such as casual and contractual employees in accordance with the equal protection clause as guaranteed by the Constitution,” he said. –Eileen A. Mencias, Manila Standard Today