Christmas came early to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) as 1,057 building attendants signed three-year contracts that took effect on Friday, thus ending the practice of “endo” in the country’s premier gateway.
The longer contracts for the building attendants assigned to Naia’s four terminals will entitle them to a 13th month pay, health benefits and social insurance, among others, according to general manager Ed Monreal of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).
The contracts are renewable every three years.
Earlier, he said the move was in line with the government’s campaign to end the practice of “endo” or short-term employment scheme used by unscrupulous employers who wanted to avoid regularizing their workers.
Naia’s building attendants used to be employed under a “job order” contract, meaning, they do not have security of tenure and may be terminated anytime.
There are 356 building attendants at Terminal 1; 272 atTerminal 2; 372 at Terminal 3; and 57 at Terminal 4.
Their main duties include cleaning some 250 toilets at the Naia complex; cleaning floors, concourses, and the departure and arrival areas; maintaining gardens, parking lots and specific offices; and running interoffice errands.
Many of them have been working at the airport for 10 to 15 years as short-term contractual workers under different service contractors.
Jacqueline Rubia, a building attendant whose duty area includes the MIAA media affairs office, said she was happy with her new contract.
“Now we can sleep soundly at night without the fear of finding out that we have lost our jobs in the morning. The benefits that we will get will be a big help for our families,” she told the Inquirer.
Monreal said the winning manning agencies in October’s bidding for maintenance contracts at the four Naia terminals would absorb and deploy all current building attendants with full benefits.
The workers’ contracts are renewable every three years but they may be terminated earlier for habitual absenteeism and other serious offenses.
Last March, the Department of Labor and Employment issued an order requiring, among other things, all service contractors and subcontractors to recognize their employees’ right to security of tenure, full benefits and enjoyment of other labor standards and rights.