Dole’s ‘watered down’ SOT bill caters to business whims — TUCP

The country’s biggest labor group assailed the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) on Wednesday for its  “watered-down” version of the security of tenure (SOT) bill that the group said caters to the whims of the business sector.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said Dole may inadvertently institutionalize contractualization should it submit to Malacañang next week its version of the SOT bill that addresses the business sector’s concern on the creation of a tripartite council. The council would outline the jobs that can be outsourced.

“The vetoed version was already watered-down,” TUCP president Raymond Mendoza said.

“Are they talking about [a] version that will give employers an even freer hand to expand the scope of contractualization? For employers to determine at will who will be contractual?” he asked.

On Monday, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said that Dole would present at the meeting next week of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council its version of the SOT bill.

He said the bill would have “clearer and more focused provisions to provide security of tenure to workers.”

One of key provisions of the vetoed SOT bill that Dole will reexamine is the creation of a tripartite body that employers are opposing. The body will determine regular jobs in a company.

Assistant Labor Secretary Benjo Benavidez earlier said employers had expressed concern that this was “undue delegation,” even if the council would have representatives from government, labor and business.