3,830 workers in Northern Mindanao regularized

SOME 3,830 contractual workers have been regularized by private companies across Northern Mindanao since the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) started its campaign against the “endo” (end of contractualization) September last year, the agency’s records show.

Atheneus Vasallo, Dole-Northern Mindanao Technical Division Chief, said the region has now surpassed its 50 percent target with about 52 percent accomplishment.

Vasallo said the figure was accomplished through voluntary compliance and assessment among the private sector.

As of December 31 last year, 725 private companies have been assessed and 275 companies were found to be compliant with labor standards, rules and regulations.

He said the implementation is in response to the call of President Rodrigo Duterte to end the practice of labor contractualization.

Vasallo said the agency has directed labor laws compliance officers to regulate the strict enforcement of the existing laws and regulations.

Officers are guided through Department Order 162 or the suspension in the processing of new applications, and Labor Advisory 10 which reiterates that labor-only contracting is strictly prohibited under the law.

The Dole-Northern Mindanao is also focusing on the revision of guidelines and the third one on legislation in Congress that will end contractualization.

“The priority aim of the department now is to correct the prohibited practices of LOC such as the 555/666/111, meaning an employer hires workers for only five or six months or one year, then terminates the workers for another five months, then rehires the same worker again for five months,” Vasallo said.

Vasallo added non-compliant establishments are presently being made to undergo hearings and assessments conducted by Dole-Northern Mindanao to force them to comply.

Compliant establishments, meanwhile, will not be assessed by the department for two years unless complaint are received.

Vasallo said that they will leave no establishment unassisted as it targets 100 percent regularization of workers by year end.