Contractual workers pin hopes on next President

RESPITE FROM SUN Construction worker “Arnold” takes a break under the still unfinished Naia Expressway after hours of work under the sun. The senior carpenter has been a contract laborer for his company for 20 years. DEXTER V. CABALZA

(Last of a series)

“You are an inconvenience!” one driver cried to Tata Arnold as he and other construction workers tried to put up support columns to hold an elevated expressway.

As steel, cement and cranes occupied a lane on the center island of Andrews Avenue in Pasay City, drivers had barely moved, and at rush hours, traffic would even get worse. Never mind the signage boards illuminated by halogen lamps that read: “Construction on going. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

Still, 41-year-old Arnold (not his real name) gave his apology: “I’m sorry, boss. When the construction finishes, you will benefit from this.”

He refers to the four-lane Naia (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) Expressway, which seeks to provide better access to airports and reduce traffic congestion.

Arnold described himself as a carpenter who could not even give his family a decent shelter, living in a shanty inside a public cemetery in Cavite.

2 decades as ‘endo’

For 20 years, he worked as an “endo” (end of contract), or contractual worker, at one of the biggest construction firms in the country.

Endo, also known as 5-5-5 scheme or contractualization, is an employment practice done mostly in shopping malls, hotel and restaurant industries, and construction sectors. Under the scheme, a worker is hired for five months, fired and rehired for another five months by the employer.

Contract laborers are periodically fired and rehired so the employers can avoid giving them the benefits enjoyed by regular workers.

The lack of employment opportunities forces Filipinos to sign these contracts despite the dismal employment conditions.

While Arnold’s employer pays half of his PhilHealth, Social Security System and Pag-Ibig, his tenure is less secure: He needs to renew his contract every two months, saying that has been the practice since he started working in 1996.

Honored in the breach

During the last presidential debate in April, all the candidates promised to end the state of suspended animation for the 25 million contractual workers in the country.

It is something that gives hope to workers like Arnold, who could not risk complaining to his bosses that may lead to losing his job.

“I wish we were also regular employees so we won’t just lose our jobs anytime,” he said.

In a letter to the Inquirer, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said “Philippine labor laws are sufficient in affording protection and ensuring workers’ rights.  Security of work is a basic right that is enshrined in the Constitution and is one of the pillars of the Labor Code.”

Baldoz cited Department Order No. 18-A issued in November 2011 which, she said, laid down standards for legitimate contracting and subcontracting to curb the abuse of workers and ensure compliance with the workers’ right to security of tenure.

It hasn’t helped people like Arnold. When there are no projects for him, he said his employer would put his status on “floating,” asking him to leave for work without pay for a month or two.

“[Being on floating status] was really hard. I did not know if they would rehire me. I was just in the house doing nothing. To get by with the days, I borrow money from anyone. Sometimes, if lucky, I would sell fish,” he lamented.

Lack of employment prospects and poverty forced Arnold to leave home in Ormoc City in Leyte province. At 14, he worked as a house helper in Cubao, Quezon City. At 17, he toiled in condominium construction project.

“I am one of the carpenters who built one of the first malls in Fairview, Quezon City,” he said with pride.

Never enough

He works six days a week, receiving P512 a day to provide for his wife and eight children—a little above the minimum wage of P481 in Metro Manila. He would work overtime to earn more.

On most Sundays, he goes back to see his family in Cavite. But no matter how much working and saving he does, he still could not adequately provide the daily needs of his family.

“I wish I had a bigger pay … because whatever I do, it is inadequate for us especially that my children are going to school,” Arnold said.

In April, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines called for a P154 increase in daily minimum wage in Metro Manila. Last year, it filed a petition seeking a P136 raise, but the regional wage board approved only P15.

Arnold said his vote in this election would go to a presidential candidate who promised to protect fathers and breadwinners like him in their jobs.

His contract will end in June, but Arnold is quite confident that he would get rehired. Once the elevated expressway is done, probably in November, it would be another issue altogether when he would have to apply again for another project.

Perhaps, the country’s next leader could help him.