Duterte signs EO vs illegal contracting

President Rodrigo Duterte signed on Tuesday an executive order (EO) regarding issues on contractualization, specifically prohibiting illegal contracting and subcontracting of workers.

Duterte signed the EO during a speech in Cebu City.

The President read Section 2 of the EO, which states the “prohibition against illegal contracting and subcontracting.

“Contracting and subcontracting were undertaken to circumvent the workers’ right to security of tenure,” he said.

He said the EO has a “provision against illegal contracting and subcontracting,” stressing the “workers’ right to security.”

Malacanang has yet to release a copy of the signed EO.

President Duterte signed the executive order on Tuesday morning in front of the thousands of job applicants and local officials gathered inside the IEC Pavilion in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City, an event organized by the Department of Labor and Employment to celebrate the 116th Labor Day.

It was Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello who read the contents of EO, which put an end to “endo.”

“Endo” or end of contract, refers to a contractualization scheme that offers short-term and unprotected temporary work arrangements.

Bello said the new EO strictly prohibits illegal contracting and subcontracting, as well as acts that will circumvent workers’ rights to security of tenure, self-organization, and collective bargaining.

The order also mandates the Labor Secretary to inspect establishments to check compliance to all labor laws including the EO.

“I have directed DOLE to submit a list of all companies engaged or suspected to be engaging in illegal labor contracting,” President Duterte said in his speech after the signing.

President Duterte admitted that his EO was not enough since Congress needed to revisit and revise the Labor Code, which he said was “outdated.”

“A mere Executive Order is not enough. To this end, I have certified as urgent [the passage] of the bill on security of tenure to once and for all address the issue and provide long-term solutions that would futher strengthen the workers’ right to security of tenure,” he said.  /jpv

RELATED STORY

Duterte may still issue EO on ‘endo,’ says Palace