KMU blames contractualization for accelerated joblessness rate

Labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno over the weekend blamed contractualization for the faster employment rate in September, as shown by the results of a survey conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS).

In a statement on Sunday, the KMU said job security remained a major issue among Filipino workers, as it noted that President Rodrigo Duterte earlier this year vetoed the Security of Tenure Bill.

"Job security is a major issue among workers. A 21.5 percent rise in the number of jobless Filipinos means lost livelihood for millions of Filipino families," said KMU Chairperson Elmer Labog.

"We have long called for an end to contractual labor in all forms, but President Duterte himself betrayed the workers when he turned around from his campaign promise to end contractualization," he added.

A 2019 third quarter SWS survey concluded that the number of unemployed Filipinos rose by 10 million in September, reflecting a joblessness rate of 21.5 percent.

Duterte in July vetoed the Security of Tenure Bill, which sought to eliminate the subcontracting of labor and limit job contracting to licensed and specialized workers.

"10 million unemployed Filipinos is one of the many illustrations of how underdeveloped our economy is," said Labog.

"We do not have the industries to employ our people, and the government fails in securing jobs for Filipinos as it continues to implement contractualization in labor," he elaborated.

According to Labog, workers also went on strike earlier this year due to issues of contractualization as part of their demands.

"Workers are going on strike because they want to fight for regular work, because their jobs, their very source of livelihood is under threat," he said. — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/DVM, GMA News