Labor groups are starting to entertain thoughts that President Duterte is now ditching his campaign promise of ending contractualization, with the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) again skipping the matter despite being part of the agenda of its meeting on Wednesday night.
Presidential Spokesman Ernesto C. Abella admitted the Ledac did not discuss the issue on security of tenure, or the right of workers to regularization. “[The end to] endo [was] not discussed. It was not tackled [during the Ledac meeting],” Abella told
the BusinessMirror.
The prohibition of contractualization, or endo—short for end of contract—was part of Duterte’s campaign promises. He has vowed to put an end to the practice of fixed-term employment and, due to this, has earned the backing of several labor groups in the elections.
Labor groups, such as the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), have asked the President to issue an executive order (EO) outlawing contractualization. However, there was no word from Malacañang if Duterte is still keen on fulfilling his promise to workers.
In a text message to the BusinessMirror, ALU-TUCP Spokesman Alan A. Tanjusay said they are “gravely concerned” over the apparent lack of genuine interest to discuss the policy on security of tenure in the Ledac meeting.
“We are aware that there are employers and labor contractors’ agents within the Cabinet and among congressmen who are out to delete the security of tenure bill from moving forward. [They intend to] ensure the precarious short-term contractualized work arrangement in the country would remain and improve their profit margin at the expense of workers,” Tanjusay said.
He said the ALU-TUCP condemns these politicians allegedly involved in the plot to keep security of tenure reforms at bay. “We are going to ensure they will have a day of reckoning for this blatant assault at workers’ right to security of tenure,” Tanjusay added.
Tanjusay called on the President to issue an EO prohibiting employers from hiring workers on contractual arrangement. “We will exert all possible means to make the President sign and approve the EO,” he said.
The end to contractualization was listed among the agenda items of the Ledac meeting, aside from the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN), amendments to the Government Procurement Reform Act, proposed bill on cancer management and control and the Bangsamoro basic law (BBL).
According to Abella, the Ledac has opted to focus on updates on the TRAIN and BBL. “In the course of the discussion, the President agreed to certify as urgent the proposed measures on the BBL and TRAIN,” Abella said.
The TRAIN, which is the first package of the Duterte administration’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program, is facing scrutiny in the Senate under the watch of Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairman Juan Edgardo M. Angara. On the other hand, the BBL is still in the House of Representatives awaiting sponsorship.