Duterte signs EO strengthening security of tenure for workers

President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday he signed the executive order prohibiting illegal contracting, or subcontracting, and strengthening workers’ rights to security of tenure as the country celebrates its 116th Labor Day.

Duterte said it was all he could legally do.

“More than a century has passed since the very first Labor Day was celebrated and yet the struggle for a better life for our beloved workers continue. I assure you that this government will never cease to provide the Filipino worker with full, dignified, and meaningful employment,” he said in his speech.

“They deserve no less than decent and comfortable life,” the President said.

In a separate comment, the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) said the private sector will comply with the order.

“We have to live with it,” ECOP president Donald Dee told GMA News Online.

In a separate interview, Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) chair Renato Magtubo said labor groups were not properly consulted before the EO was signed.

“Nagulat po kami diyan at we felt taken for a ride. Parang nagoyo kami,” Magtubo said in an interview on GMA News’ “Balitanghali.”

“We were taken for a ride after so much dialog—two years, ibang drafts, wala man lang konsultasyon kung pipirmahan o hindi, tapos mayroong EO,” he said.
 

The President also directed the Department of Labor and Employment to submit a list of companies that engage in labor only contracting and warned them to mend their ways.

“Your days are numbered. I have warned you before and I have warned you again. Stop ‘endo’ and illegal contracting. I will see to it that the laws are strongly enforced,” he said.

New Labor Code

Duterte said he is committed to his campaign promise to put an end to "endo" and illegal contractualization, but his hands are tied because of the existing Labor Code.

“I believe, in order to implement an effective and lasting solution to the problems brought about by contractualization, Congress needs to enact a law amending the Labor Code,” he said.

“It’s outdated. I think, Congress should come up with a new Labor Code to keep it attuned to the realities of our time. I could only do so much and a mere executive order can only do so much because you have to change or modify or entirely aggregate some of the provisions,” he said.

The President said the EO could alleviate the problem but the long-term solution rests in Congress.

“I cannot be a legislator. It is not allowed, but I can only implement because there are laws already and ang aking EO would help a lot in alleviating the problem,” he said.

“A mere EO is not enough… the bill on security of tenure [can] once and for all address the issue and provide long term solution to further strengthen the  workers right to security of tenure,” he said.

On the other hand, Magtubo said he has yet to see the EO, noting that PArtido Manggagawa was originally pushing for the removal of subcontracting and direct hiring of employees.

“Hinihingi namin sa EO namin na the administration should have a quality of direct hiring as a norm in employment relationship,” he said.

“Bukas naman tayong pag-usapan ‘yung mga labor contractive practices or jobs and functions na pwedeng contract out per industry. I-subject natin sa consultation sa National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council,” Magtubo noted. — With a report by Jon Viktor Cabuenas/VDS/ALG, GMA News