Groups blast Duterte over compromise on ‘endo’

Militant groups on Friday slammed President Rodrigo Duterte for seeking a "compromise" on ending labor contractualization in the country and for supposedly failing to fulfill this campaign promise.

In a statement, the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) said they will strongly reject any compromise on the issue of contractual work.

"His proposal to compromise is an utter sell-out," said BMP president Luke Espiritu.

Espiritu stressed that Duterte "rode on the promise of ending 'endo' during his campaign portraying himself to be a champion of the masses" but "now he says it can't be done because he has to balance labor's demand with the interests of business." 

"Duterte's hypocrisy is revolting," Espiritu said.

Duterte, on Monday, called for a compromise amid calls by labor groups for him to fulfill his campaign promise to ban contractualization in the country. 

"Don’t make it hard for them (businessmen) to run the business the way they like it because that’s their money," Duterte said in a speech in Davao City. "So something of a compromise must be, maybe, acceptable to everybody."

In a separate statement, Kadamay criticized Duterte for "cementing" the reversal of his position on the contractualization of labor.

"Saan ka nakakita, iyung mga kapitalista pa ang tinatrato na parang kawawa? Lahat ng pag-iintindi at concern ibinibigay sa kanila samantalang malinaw naman ang kawalang hustisya sa kontraktwalisasyon," Kadamay chairperson Gloria Arellano said.

"Sa compromise na hinahanap ni Duterte, halatang kapakanan ng malalaking negosyante ang pangunahing konsiderasyon. Nagiging utusan lamang si Duterte ng kapitalistang interes,” she added.

The BMP alleged that the upcoming executive order from the Palace will not fix the flaws of the Department Order 174 but will strengthen the abusive tripartite work arrangements enacted by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello.

The DO 174, issued last year, has been stringently opposed by labor groups.

The BMP claimed that workers are worse off because it didn't just deprived them of their right to security of tenure but also legitimized tripartite work arrangements.

Likewise, the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition said under the DO 174, workers can only enjoy security of tenure in their respective manning agencies and not in their principal employers.

On Duterte's basis for "compromise," Espiritu said, "It is not the capitalists' money that is circulating that make their businesses ever expanding. Their 'capital' was extracted from the labor power of their employees and subjecting them to abusive schemes to keep their wages dirt cheap." —Ted Cordero/KBK, GMA News