It is the intent of the General Assembly that it is the public policy of the State to encourage and protect the exercise by public sector employees of the full freedom of association, self–organization, and designation of representatives of their own choosing, for the purpose of negotiating the terms and conditions of their employment or other mutual aid or protection. For the advancement of the rights described under subsection (a) of this section and to promote labor peace and the orderly and constructive relationships between all public employers and their employees, the General Assembly has determined that the overall policy may best be accomplished by: granting to public employees the right to organize and choose freely their representatives; requiring public employers to negotiate and bargain with employee organizations representing public employees and to enter into written agreements evidencing the result of the bargaining; and establishing procedures to provide for the protection of the rights of public employees, the public employers, and the public at large. The law of the State with respect to the labor rights of public sector employees is intended to follow the rights of employees under the federal National Labor Relations Act.