President Rodrigo Duterte finally signed the Executive Order that prohibits illegal contractualization or “ENDO” of workers on May 1, Labor Day. While this fulfills one of his campaign promises, labor groups and business groups aired their thoughts about the EO. In related news, a recent survey showed that joblessness is at an all-time high in the last 5 quarters.
ENDO or end of contract is a contractualization scheme where workers are hired on a short-term basis and usually without any benefits. It is a scheme typically practiced by employers to escape regularization of workers and paying for benefits.
Labor Groups And Employers Speak Out
Labor groups who have been clamoring for this EO said that it was not enough to end the practice of contracting. A report by the Inquirer says that according to Bayan Muna Representative Noel Zarate, labor-only contracting as mentioned in the order, was already prohibited in the Labor Code. He said that what was needed was a policy that “prohibits all forms of contracting.”
Employers also expressed their wariness about the order’s provisions as stated in a separate Inquirer report, such as the definition of “security of tenure” and the “possible abused rules of engagement” when it comes to enforcement.
Jobless Filipino Adults Now At 10.9 Million
According to a recent survey of the Social Weather Station as reported by the Inquirer, the number of jobless Filipino adults is at a record high of 23.9 percent. This means that an estimated 10.9 million are without jobs. In December 2017, it was at 15.7 percent or around 7.2 million. This is higher than that of December 2016 which was at 25.1 percent.
Joblessness rose all over the country, except in Metro Manila. Of the island groups, Luzon saw the highest increase from 16 percent to 28.1 percent, followed by Mindanao from 13.2 percent to 20.8 percent. The lowest is the Visayas from 15.3 percent to 21.6 percent.