CLARK, PAMPANGA, May 2, 2018 – No one could have picked a better day.
On Labor Day, the Department of Education (DepEd) and the DepEd National Employees’ Union (DepEd-NEU) signed the Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA), marking a landmark moment for employee welfare and strengthening ties in the Department. This is the second CNA signed between the two parties.
The signing was held during the 1st DepEd Employee Associations (DEA) Congress in front of hundreds of representatives from various employee organizations nationwide.
DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones, who was joined by other members of the Executive and Management Committees of DepEd, expressed her happiness with the signing of the agreement, and on Labor Day no less: “We believe that the time has come for us all to get together. After all, we belong to one organization, and this is the Department of Education.”
Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del B. Pascua, who is the Chair of the management panel, expressed his optimism, calling it “an agreement both sides worked hard for and can be extremely proud of.” Pascua added that the new agreement will last for three (3) years.
“Ito ay isang pambihirang tagumpay na maituturing kung saan ang pangunahing kinatawan ng manggagawa at namamahala ay nagkaisa sa diwa ng konsultasyon bilang magkakaibigan, magkakasama, iisang pamilya,” Pascua shared.
Atty. Domingo Alidon, DepEd-NEU President, was equally ecstatic and grateful, saying that the CNA agreement “will surely enhance the welfare program for DepEd employees.”
Management panel Vice Chair, Assistant Secretary Revsee Escobedo, recalled how the negotiation started on January 25, 2018 when DepEd-NEU submitted their proposed amendments to the previous CNA dating back to 2013.
“Since January, both sides have been communicating and meeting regularly to discuss the NEU’s proposal, and as far as negotiations go, everything has been smooth,” added Escobedo.
The opening of the DEA Congress coincided with the last day of the National Conference on Public Sector Unionism, whose participants joined the Congress afterwards.
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