Women protest inaction in contractualization

Members of the labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno stage a protest at the Department of Labor and Employment office in Manila to reiterate calls ending all forms of contractual employment in the country. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

Women workers commemorated the International Women’s Day with protests against the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), which deferred anew the issuance of the draft of the department order on contractualization.

“We are outraged over the DOLE’s failure to heed workers’ demand to end all forms of contractualization. [Labor Secretary Silvestre] Bello’s draft department order is a death penalty to workers who would be subjected to greater exploitation under various contractual employment schemes which this (order) aims to further legitimize,” said Kilusang Mayo Uno vice chair for women’s affairs Nenita “Ka Nitz” Gonzaga.

She said that after a series of failed consultations and dialogues, the DOLE had made  it clear that it had no intention of fulfilling President Duterte’s promise to prohibit all forms of contractualization. She said Bello continues to uphold the “win-win” solution proposed by the Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines.

Gonzaga also scored Mr. Duterte’s refusal to take concrete steps toward fulfilling his promise and heeding workers’ demands.—TINA G. SANTOS