Raymond Basilio, secretary general of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers Philippines (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines—The Alliance of Concerned Teachers on Monday called on government to ensure funding for the implementation of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 151, a treaty that aims to protect government workers.
This comes after the Senate approved on third and final reading Senate Resolution 454 which was sponsored by Senator Loren Legarda to ratify ILO Convention 151.
ACT, the largest union of public elementary and secondary school teachers in the country, welcomed the Senate’s passing of the Senate Resolution 454 ratifying ILO Convention No. 151.
“ILO Convention No. 151 will guarantee government employees’ protection of the right to organize and form unions, negotiate terms and conditions of employment and recognition of their civil and political rights,” the group said.
“The Convention promotes sound labor relations between public authorities and public employees’ organizations through the protection of the right to organize, granting of facilities or privileges to its representatives, full development and utilization of machinery for negotiation of terms and conditions of employment, and promotion of civil and political rights of public employees,” a portion of the Senate resolution reads.
ILO Convention 151 was first adopted on June 27, 1978, in Geneva, Switzerland entered into force on February 25, 1981.
Raymond Basilio, ACT secretary-general, said “Senate’s ratification of the ILO Convention No. 151 is a welcome development as until now, government employees are still not able to enjoy their right to organize with the different policies and programs currently implemented by the Philippine government.”
Basilio, however, pointed out that “this ratification means nothing if its budgetary needs are not satisfied accordingly. Currently, there are three (3) accredited regional unions of the public elementary and secondary school teachers with signed Collective Negotiation Agreements (CNAs), but these CNAs are yet to be fully implemented due to budgetary constraints.”
He said that, for instance, in the National Capital Region, even the provision of faculty rooms with office equipment and supplies, bulletin boards, internet connection, water dispenser and drinking water supply is not yet realized as the Department of Education still failed to fulfill include its budget needs in their proposal for 2018.
Even then, Basilio said the Alliance of Concerned Teachers – National Capital Region (ACT-NCR) and Department of Education – National Capital Region (DepEd-NCR) inked these items in the Collective Negotiation Agreement signed last May 26, 2015.
According to Basilio, ACT Region VI (Western Visayas) and ACT Region XI (Davao Region) have also signed CNAs with the corresponding DepEd Regional Offices already but “faces the same problem faced by ACT-NCR.”
“We urge the Philippine government, through the House of Representatives and Senate to include the budgetary needs of ILO Convention No. 151 and of the Collective Negotiation Agreements in the General Appropriation Act (National Budget),” he said.(davaotoday.com)
