Labor groups urge Duterte to sign EO ending contractualization

An alliance of labor groups on Tuesday launched a petition urging President Rodrigo Duterte to sign an executive order that would ban contractualization by March 15.

The Nagkaisa Labor Coalition (Nagkaisa) and the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) hope to gather one million signatures for its campaign and submit it to the President next month.

“We plan to collect a million signatures through an online and printed petition calling on Duterte to sign the labor sector’s executive order versus labor contractualization,” said Rene Magtubo, Nagkaisa spokesperson.

Nagkaisa held a press briefing with the KMU at the compound of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines on Tuesday.

It may be recalled that in a dialog with the labor sector last February 7, the President once again failed to sign the much-awaited executive order that would ban contractualization.

Duterte instead asked them to give him until March 15 to assess the draft executive order submitted by the labor unions, and to confer with the employers’ sector.

The labor groups admit that they are frustrated that the President is taking too long to fulfill his two-year-old campaign promise to end contractualization.

Aside from circulating the petition in communities, workplaces, churches and public conveyances, the petition is also available online at https://www.change.org/p/president-rodrigo-roa-duterte-pres-duterte-sign-workers-executive-order-that-will-prohibit-labor-contractualization.

Magtubo added that labor groups will hold daily protests before the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and its regional offices to demand that the President sign the executive order.

“All member trade union centers, labor federations, local unions and workers organizations will troop to the DOLE’s field offices and national office as part of our sustained actions to call for an end of contractualization,” he said.

The actions will begin on February 23 with the nationwide hanging of protest streamers at the DOLE’s regional offices.
Starting March 13, labor groups will march to Mendiola to demand that the President sign the much-awaited executive order.

Meanwhile, a priest from the Archdiocese of Manila’s Ministry for Labor Concerns backed the workers’ demands to end contractualization.

Fr. Erick Adoviso called contractualization as a new form of slavery that victimizes workers all over the world.

“When capital and profit are more important, the workers are always left behind, abused, and enslaved. Remember that God will hold accountable the slavers of our day,” he said.   /muf