Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo joins a rally to call for an end to contractualization outside the DOLE office in Manila, July 1, 2016. (Photo: Sanofi Aventis Employees Union)
MANILA, July 4, 2016— An network of Church and labor groups has challenged the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte to walk its talk on ending contractualization of workers.
The Church-Labor Conference said urged new set of labor officials to begin the process of stamping out “end of contract (endo)” system in many industries.
“Contractualization of labor, specifically the practices of unscrupulous employers that directly violate or circumvent labor laws and regulations pertaining to labor contracting and regularization of employment are arguably the gravest threat to our workers’ right to security of tenure,” CLC said in a statement.
Contractualization, the group added, is a problem that renders futile the exercise of workers’ other constitutional rights to freedom of association, bargain collectively, concerted action, and living wage.
“Like the menace of illegal drugs and criminality in the country, it must be stopped! Otherwise, we will become a nation of endos where workers are deprived of their constitutional rights to gainful and productive employment,” stressed the group.
The CLC, however, conceded that addressing contractualization of labor is not that simple as it requires complex and sustainable solutions.
It stressed that “cooperation and the strong resolve” of like-minded stakeholders is very important in solving the problem.
As a starter the CLC, which is co-chaired by Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo and Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) Chair Renato Magtubo, has offered a 10-point proposal to the new DOLE leadership:
- Conduct a nationwide labor consultation of workers in the private and public sector aimed at threshing out employment schemes, generate proposals and establish mechanisms to encourage workers’ participation in stopping contractualization;
- Work for the certification by President Duterte of anti-endo bills that are going to be filed in Congress that will strengthen workers’ security of tenure in the private and public sector;
- Launch a massive and sustained information and education campaign to workers and employers on the present labor laws and regulations pertaining to labor contracting and regularization of employment;
- Hold a nationwide and sustained inspection of all labor contractors and service providers to determine their compliance with the existing labor laws and the filing of cases to violators;
- Formulate policies and guidelines to speed-up resolution of cases under the DOLE quasi-judicial bodies on violations of labor laws;
- Urgently resolve pending cases and labor disputes related to contractualization;
- Establish a separate mechanism comprised of among others representative of unions, the DOLE and the Civil Service Commission (CSC) that will assess and address rampant use of contractual or other forms of non-regular employment in the public sector;
- Train and deputize labor leaders to become part of the DOLE pool of inspectors; and
- Institutionalize the role of tripartite formations in the country as partner of the DOLE in accomplishing President Duterte’s campaign promise to end contractualization of labor.
Established during the height of the global financial crisis in 2009, CLC has become an active member of the Technical Executive Committee of the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council.
The CLC has also expressed its full support to Duterte’s commitment to stop labor contractualization in the country and welcomed the appointments of Sec. Silvestre Bello III and Joel Maglungsod to head the DOLE. (CBCPNews)
