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Washington, D.C.-President Colleen M. Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) today welcomed a White House statement reaffirming the importance of labor-management partnerships in the federal sector and directing agencies to move toward full implementation of the 1993 Executive Order establishing federal workplace partnership.

"Every single time that employees have a meaningful voice in decisions affecting their workplace, taxpayers benefit, as do agencies and federal workers," Kelley said. "I'm delighted that the president sees these successes so clearly and that he has directed agency heads to work more closely with employees and their representatives to establish flourishing partnerships."

There can be "no doubt" after today's statement by the president to department and agency heads, Kelley said, about "the direction the president wants them to move in and the actions he wants them to take."

Mr. Clinton's memorandum said he believes "it is time to redouble the administration's efforts to create genuine labor-management partnership," so he is moving "to reaffirm my strong commitment to partnership and to renew my expectation that agencies will work with their unions to achieve the important objectives" of Executive Order 12871, issued Oct. 1, 1993.

NTEU, which is the largest independent federal union, represents 155,000 employees in 26 agencies and departments, and has been the leader in federal sector labor-management partnership. Its ongoing partnership efforts with the Internal Revenue Service-particularly as that agency undergoes its most far-reaching restructuring in nearly 50 years-often are cited as the model for other agencies.

Kelley said she was particularly pleased that today's memorandum restates the president's directive to agency heads "to negotiate with unions over the subjects set forth" in Section 7106 (b) of the federal labor-relations statute.

She noted that there has been "some reluctance on the part of some agencies" to follow the administration's directive in that regard. "I trust that this restatement by the president will make their collective bargaining responsibilities crystal clear to all agency and department heads," Kelley said.

Mr. Clinton said that while he is proud of the progress made in partnership in light of the Executive Order, he is convinced that more can be done. In his statement, he directed agency heads to submit reports to him through the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) detailing the actions they have taken to implement the 1993 Executive Order. The first annual report will be due next April 14.

He further ordered agency heads to use, wherever possible, interest-based problem solving techniques which center on achieving consensus; to seek training and other outside assistance, including mediation, so that partnerships "can succeed and thrive."