Labor coalition PAGGAWA urges DOLE to craft new bill to end contractualization

Labor coalition PAGGAWA on Tuesday urged the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to end all forms of contractualization by drafting and endorsing a bill that would promote security of tenure.

“Secretary Bello cannot fulfill his mandate of fostering industrial peace if he heeds President Duterte's marching order to give employers the unrestricted power to determine which activities can be contracted out," Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) President Luke Espiritu said in a statement.

"Industrial peace cannot be achieved if millions of workers are suffering under precarious working conditions," he added.

The various labor organizations that joined the protest picket in front of the DOLE office called for the abolishment of trilateral work arrangements with manpower agencies and service cooperatives.

Ending contractualization was one of President Rodrigo Duterte's campaign promises in 2016.

He, however, vetoed the Security of Tenure Bill last July after several business groups voiced out that signing the measure into law could lead to job losses and affect the economy.

PAGGAWA also condemned the "anti-worker policies" being proposed by some lawmakers, such as the extension of probationary period for employees from the current six months to up to two years.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) likewise reiterated its opposition to the proposed legislation as it is seen to worsen the "ENDO labor slavery system" in the country.

Extending the probationary period of employees to 24 months may also push the Filipino workers to find jobs abroad, it added.

“Under the kind of current working conditions that we have, 6,000 to 7,000 Filipinos are leaving every day to work abroad," TUCP President Raymond Mendoza said.

"If we allow this proposal become a law, the number of Filipinos wanting to work abroad will rise resulting to greater 'brain drain' with more children and families to suffer,” he added.

The DOLE has said it was not in favor of the bill because two years of probation is too long. —NB, GMA News