Duterte threatens to close down firms defying order vs contractualization

President  Duterte has maintained his “zero tolerance” stand on contractualization, threatening to shutter any company that would not comply with his orders.

“Huwag na ninyo akong hintayin na mahuli ko kayo because I will be unforgiving. You will not only lose your money, you will lose your pants,” the President warned during an interview with reporters at Malacañang on Monday.

“ No tolerance ako dito. Ito ang pangako ko sa tao and I will do it. Hintuan na ninyo ‘yan, bayaran ninyo ang tao sa tamang sweldo; stop contractualization. It will not do good to our country,” he added.

Duterte said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has a plan to field more men to inspect companies “doing away” with contractualization. He warned that would-be violators should not wait for a warning from him and Secretary Bello.

“Alam mo wala akong pera, wala akong tao to really inspect all of the… You know, doing away with contractualization. My message to them is very simple: Do not wait for us to inspect,” Duterte said.

“Kapag nalaman ko, I will just simply close your plant and you would always find a thousand reasons to do it, believe me,” he added.

Duterte also called on manpower supplier agencies, most of which are run by military men, to improve the working conditions of security guards.

“Alam mo ito sila they work 24 hours ang shift nila, when they only supposed to render eight hours. Kaya hindi naka-deliver ng services doon, outsource human power, eh 24 [hours] patrabahuhin mo ‘yung tao,” he said.

He lamented the Filipino’s “hard-headedness” in following labor policies like contractualization.

“Kung ako ba naman, kung ikakaligaya ng lahat yan and it would improve, enhance our economy, wala kayong problema sa akin. But the human being, lalo na security guard, [you should] pay all the benefits. Iyong mga outsource, ikaw ‘yung ahensiya, the agency, you take over as the employer, then pay. Lahat kayo. Huwag kayong yumaman diyan sa pawis ng kapwa ninyo tao. Kalokohan iyan. So bayaran ninyo lahat, SSS at saka wala iyang paikot-ikot,” he said.

Duterte gave thos final word to would-be violators: “If you do not take care of the workers, then I cannot take care of you. Eh ano iyan eh quid pro quo, quid pro quo; tit-for-tat. So iyan ang warning ko,” he said. Ma. Czarina A. Fernandez, INQUIRER.net trainee