ALU-TUCP: Duterte may have been misled
The national president of the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines says President Rodrigo Duterte may have been misinformed on the controversial issue on endo or labor-only-contracting.
Michael Mendoza, who is also chairman of the labor coalition Nagkaisa, made the statement in reaction to Duterte’s pronouncement that he needs more time to study the Executive Order that the labor groups are pushing for him to sign.
"The President obviously has been misled or misinformed about the demands of the workers,” Mendoza said.
ALU-TUCP and other labor organizations under the umbrella of Nagkaisa are asking Duterte to sign the Executive Order that will stop the unfair labor practice of contractualization.
However, the president said it must be studied thoroughly because there are not enough businesses that can pay their workers the mandated minimum wage and social protection benefits.
The labor coalition said they recognized that there will be exemptions but insisted that direct hiring should be restored instead of allowing manpower suppliers or labor-only contractors.
Under the draft EO, Nagkaisa gave the President, through the DOLE Secretary, authority upon consultation with the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (NTIPC), to exempt jobs, activities, and functions from prohibition.
"We too, Mr. President, recognize the need to balance the interest of labor and capital. The epidemic scale of contractuals laboring in precarious jobs without security of tenure calls for balance Mr. President," Mendoza said in a statement.
It added that management prerogative is not unfettered as it is bound by the Constitution, the laws of the land, public policy, morals and simple decency.
"The Constitution is crystal clear. Workers have the right of security of tenure. We call on the President to fulfil his promise to the workers to end the hopelessness and insecurity of millions,” Mendoza said.