A LABOR group claims that President Rodrigo Duterte is favoring the employers after vetoing the Security of Tenure (SOT) bill, which aimed to ban labor-only contracting and other exploitative employer practices.
Michael Ibañez, Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa-Davao Chapter (Sentro-Davao) coordinator, said on Saturday, July 27, that his decision to veto the anti-“endo” (end of contract) bill, is a “betrayal” since he pledged during his campaign in 2016 that he will address the problem of contractualization in the employment sector.
“Dati, nagsaad siya nga undangon niya ang ‘endo’ once mahimo siyang presidente. Pero karon ni-baliktad na siya. Usa ni ka pagtraydor sa mga trabahante na kasagaran sa amo niboto niya tungod sa iyang saad (He promised during his election campaign in 2016 that he will end ‘endo’ once he becomes president. But now, it’s the other way around. His action is a betrayal to all the employees who voted for him because of his promise),” Ibañez said during the Davao Media Forum at Penong’s Sta. Ana.
Duterte said he needed to strike a healthy balance between the interests of capitalists and workers.
Prior to the veto, different employer’s group, including the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) opposed it for this may burden small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country.
Ibañez, meanwhile, said they are dissatisfied with the President’s remark that the government will put its focus on further monitoring abusive practices in the employment sector.
“Contractualization is already an abusive practice,” he said.
The labor rights advocate also observed that the President shifted his attention in listening to the “oligarchs” rather than the plights of the employment sector.
He added that different employer groups noticed some irregularities on the joint bill of two Houses passed last May this year.
Among them, according to Ibañez, is allowing “fixed term employment” which is still contractualization.
He hopes the current House would re-file the bill, this time, there should be a specific guideline that will end all forms of contractualization. (RGL)