Duterte set to ban labor dismissal at Christmastime
resident Duterte is set to sign a new executive order (EO) before Christmas banning employers from dismissing contractual workers, who are ordered to be regularized by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
In an interview, Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III disclosed they finally completed the draft of the new EO on contractualization, which has been approved by both labor and management representatives.
“They both agreed... there will be no separation or dismissal while the (regularization) case is being appealed,” Bello said.
He said the two both parties came up with the provision as an alternative to DOLE previous draft of the EO making its regularization order “immediately executory pending appeal.”
“Employers appealed not to make the (regularization) orders immediately executory. So the counter offer of labor is they will agree not to make it immediately executory provided they will not be dismissed,” Bello said.
Another salient part of the new EO is the prohibition of labor-only contracting and subcontracting.
“This is not part of the DO (Department Order) 174,” Bello said.
DO 174 was issued by Bello last March to impose additional regulations for contractors and subcontractors.
The Labor Chief said they will present the new EO for Duterte’s consideration during his expected meeting with labor groups before Christmas.
He noted the new EO will help in maintaining the industrial peace in the country and help them in their campaign against illegal forms of contractualization.
Bello admitted they will not be able to meet their target of eliminating all forms of illegal contractualization due to several challenges in implementing their regularization orders.
As November, DOLE said it already regularized a total of 75,413 workers. Another 50,000 are just awaiting for the implementation of their regularization order.
DOLE earlier said it is targeting to regularize around 180,000 victims of illegal contractualization by 2017.