Labor group: We are still a 'Republic of Endo'

A labor group on Sunday said Filipino workers are still under a “Republic of Endo,” or country of contractual workers as the "anti-endo" or security of tenure bill was nearing to lapse into law.

“On the eve of the SONA, the labor group Partido Manggagawa declared that ‘After three years of Duterte, we are a still a Republic of Endo,’” PM said in a statement.

According to PM chair Rene Magtubo, President Rodrigo Duterte has not signed signed the anti-endo (end of contract) bill because of ‘strong lobby of employers for a veto.

“Should President Duterte surrender to the demand to veto the bill, then he reveals where he stands on the class war between the workers and capitalists on contractualization,” he said.

“A presidential veto will just be another betrayal of his promise to workers,” he added.

The anti-endo bill was ratified in the Senate and House of Representatives in May, and was forwarded to Malacañang for Duterte’s signature on June 27.

Under the Constitution, any bill that is neither signed nor vetoed by the President will automatically lapse into law 30 days after it was forwarded by Congress to Malacañang.

It means the anti-endo bill may lapse into law next week.

However, Magtubo claimed the security of tenure bill is redundant as endo, he said, has already ended with Department of Labor and Employment Department Order 173 and Executive Order 51 that have numerous loopholes that allow contractualization.

“The security of tenure bill will not end endo and will not stop contractualization because it is a weak version of the proposed law,” Magtubo said.

PM welcomed DOLE for its announcement that it will review the current wage system, in response to the calls to abolish the regional wage boards.

“The group is also calling for the provision of a minimum basic income for workers in the SME (small to medium enterprise) sector which is unregulated and exempted from the minimum wage setting,” PM added. —Joviland Rita/LBG, GMA News