Iligan City – End of contract, popularly known “endo,” is
a monster to the Filipino workers, said Renato Magtubo, Chairperson, Partido
Manggagawa (PM) and spokesperson of “Nagkaisa!” labor solidarity nationwide in
a press release on Labor day celebrations, May 1, 2018.
The endo means job remained contractual even if the
worker is working on a certain job which is permanent in nature vital to the
operations. Magtubo said hiring of workers will course through the labor
contractors or agencies to supply labor requirements to employers. Most of the
contract will range from three to five months to avoid regular employment upon
reaching six months based on the Labor code of the Philippines. Magtubo said,
the security of tenure is at stake, a perennial problem of the Filipino workers
from previous administrations. Magtubo said direct hiring by the principal
employers should be imposed to address the problem the security of tenure of
workers on regular positions.
The “Nagkaisa!” labor solidarity remembered the hopes of Mayor
Duterte in his campaign during the 2016 Presidential elections, “Contractualization will stop the moment I
become the President.” Consequently, in his first day in Malacanang,
Duterte said to the businessmen, “Huwag
na ninyo akong hintayin na mahuli ko kayo (Don’t wait me to caught you) because
I will be unforgiving. You will not only lose your money, you will lose your
pants.”
The “Nagkaisa!” presented the problem on “endo” to
President Duterte in series of dialogues in Malacanang. Magtubo said, there were
three meetings of dialogues held (February 27, 2017; May 1, 2017 and February
7, 2018) with the President. The labor groups also attended the Labor summit
called by the Labor department. In the of dialogue-meetings, the President asks
the labor groups to draft an Executive order (EO) for him to sign and was
discussed in fifth drafts due to series of adjustments, to replace the
Department order 174 that allows contractualization by the labor contractors.
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President Duterte signed EO 51 during the recent Labor
day celebration in Cebu. Magtubo said the EO 51 is the product of the
consultation between the DOLE, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the
Employers’ confederation of the Philippines (ECOP). Magtubo said it is a “win-win”
formula of DTI that would legitimize labor contracting in all industries will
regularize workers under the agencies service
providers. Magtubo said this will not address the problem on the security of
tenure because as soon as the principal employer will cut their contract to
agencies or contractors the workers will lose their jobs. He said this will not
put an end on contractualization but instead promotes it.
Magtubo said “what we have proposed to the President is
an EO that would bring back the norm of direct hiring as a policy of his
administration in employment relations but open to labor contacting of some
jobs and functions subject to consultations.” This type of EO would cure for
the mean time the defects of present regulations contained in DO 174 and
provide policy direction to congress, the senate in particular on laws that it
will legislate in order to realize the PDigong’s promise to end
contractualization of labor in the long run, said Magtubo. The draft EO of the
labor solidarity was endorsed by the President to congress for legislation.
Presently, the “class conflict” between the employers and
workers on labor contracting issue has shifted to congress after the EO 51 was
signed by President Duterte. The House of Representatives has already approved
their security of tenure measure under House Bill 6908 principally authored by
Rep. Ting, chairperson of the Committee on Labor and Reps. Mendoza and Villarin
of TUCP and Akbayan party-lists, respectively.
Finally Magtubo said, the Nagkaisa! labor solidarity will
continue its fight against the ill-effects on the contractualization of labor
and hopeful that President Duterte will issue directives to expedite the
process to his “super majority coalition” in the Senate and House of
representatives to act accordingly and put an end on contractualization of
labor, a realization of his campaign promise.
The Federation of Democratic labor Organization (FDLO) is
all-out-support to end contractualization because it is a threat to unionism,
said Leonilo Ratilla, Executive Vice President, during the Labor day
celebrations held at City Public Plaza freedom park, Iligan City. the PM-Iligan chapter, Sanlakas and other sectors also joined the Labor day march rally in Iligan City. (Reports & photos by Jun Enriquez)
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