PNR union leader blasts contractualization of 1,400 railway workers
About 1,400 employees of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) are contractual workers even with the Duterte administration’s campaign to end contractualization, union leader of PNR claimed on Wednesday.
Edgar Bilayon, union president of PNR, said most of PNR’s workers such as train mechanics and drivers do not have benefits such as Social Security System.
“Mga empleyado ng PNR management hindi tinatratong employee ng PNR. No employee-employer relationship sila. Sila yung permanent na job order,” Bilayon said in a press conference at Cafe Adriatico in Malate, Manila.
“More than slavery ito. Slavery labor ang nangyayari. They [PNR management] refuse to see it,” he added.
Bilayon also claimed that the Civil Service Commission (CSC), which evaluates PNR’s labor laws, said such labor practice was allowed by the government.
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“We are under the Civil Service [Commission]. Ang sabi ina-allow daw yan ng gobyerno. Pati ang Civil Service questionable ang kanyang understanding,” he said.
Bilayon added that the workers could be signing contracts every one or three months, noting that the contracts stated that the workers were not employees of PNR.
“Wala silang benepisyo. Kung maaksidente man sila ang sinasabi ng kanilang pinipirmahan ay hindi sila empleyado ng [PNR],” he said. /jpv
