Here's potential good news for long-time casual employees in government.

House Deputy Minority Leader and Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera has filed a measure that, if enacted, would to grant automatic civil service eligibility to long-time casual state workers.

Covered under Herrera’s House Bill 1387 are government employees holding casual or contractual positions in the first and second levels and who have rendered at least five consecutive years of government service.

She said the aim of her bill is to reduce labor contractualization in government.

“The government should set an example as a good employer by aiming towards ending labor contractualization, also known as end-of-contract or endo, in the bureaucracy. It can start by granting civil service eligibility to qualified casual or contractual workers who cannot seek regular employment because they are not civil service eligible,” she pointed out.

Herrera said that granting regular status will serve as “an incentive toward more productive work, investing in one’s job, and taking on a longer-term view at one’s career advancement".

“Considering the services they extend in all government offices vis-a-vis the insufficient benefits and privileges accorded the casual and contractual employees, the government should grant these dedicated employees who have rendered efficient service in the bureaucracy an opportunity to obtain their civil service eligibility,” the veteran lawmaker further said.

Data from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) showed that in 2017, there are approximately 2.4 million state workers, making the government the biggest employer in the country. Of this number, over 660,000 were hired as casual or contractual workers.

The bill, however, clarifies that the covered employees “shall not be entitled to any promotion unless they obtain the appropriate eligibility requirement for that position".