Workers plan to rally vs gov’t failure to end contractualization

In the runup to President Rodrigo Duterte’s third State of the Nation Address (Sona) next week, labor groups and laid-off workers will take to the streets to express their frustration over the administration’s failure to fulfill its promise to end contractualization and provide better wages.

Kilusang Mayo Uno chair Elmer Labog said that instead of being assured of better jobs, thousands of contractual employees were put out of work because of the “toothless rulings” of the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) against erring companies.

“Dole’s Department Order No. 174 and Executive Order No. 51 have been largely useless in protecting Filipino workers from illegal contractualization schemes, leaving them vulnerable to arbitrary dismissal…” Labog said.

Labor-only contracting

Under DO 174 and EO 51, employers are prohibited from engaging in labor-only contracting.

Though Dole has issued several compliance orders against companies suspected of engaging in the illegal practice, these have not resulted in workers being regularized, Labog said.

For one, PLDT has continued to defy an order to regularize about 7,300 workers, insisting that these employees should again reapply through a four-step process. —Jovic Yee