Leyte firm leads way in ending ‘endo’

Some of the 54 contractual workers of Ultrasteel sign their appointment papers as regular employees. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

TACLOBAN CITY—A construction company based here became the first establishment in Eastern Visayas to stop the so-called “endo” (end of contract) in line with the Duterte administration’s policy against contractualization.

Workers of Ultrasteel Corp., along Maharlika Highway, could not be any happier.

“This means I will no longer fear losing my job at the end of my contract,” said Melenio Aguilas, 48, who has been working in Ultrasteel since April 15, 2015.

On Oct. 5, he and other workers signed papers making them regular employees. Ultrasteel has 50 other regular employees.

Regional labor officials witnessed the signing of the appointment papers of the 54 workers, explaining the benefits of a regular employee.

Under labor laws, workers are qualified to become regular employees after working for six months for a company.

Ma. Teresa Cua, chief operating officer of Ultrasteel, said the promotion of the contractual workers was in compliance with President Duterte’s policy against endo, or the practice by some companies of ending work contracts before these reach six months to avoid making the contractual workers regular employees.

Cua said making the 54 workers regular employees is for the good of both the workers and the company.

“They will become more productive because they now have this feeling of being part of the company,” she said.

The company has been in the construction business since 1995.

But when Supertyphoon “Yolanda” struck on Nov. 8, 2013, two of Ultrasteel’s branches had to close.

Virgilio Doroja Jr., information officer of the Eastern Visayas office of the Department of Labor and Employment, said labor officials in the region are happy at Ultrasteel’s positive response to Mr. Duterte’s call for an end to the practice of endo.