Employers group vows to eliminate ‘endo’

Pia Gutierrez, ABS-CBN News, Dec 12 2016

MANILA – The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) assured the public Monday that they are working to eliminate the practice of labor contractualization or end-of-contract among their ranks in support of the Duterte administration’s campaign.

ECOP president Donald Dee said although it is impossible to eliminate labor contracting, the business sector should take a stand against illegal and abusive labor practices.

“I am not too sure if all sectors will be happy but what I can say is that we will outlaw ‘endo.’ No matter what happens, endo must stop,” Dee said.
He added that the move has been met with opposition from members of the group.

“Sa totoo lang, it’s not easy. Siyempre maraming nag o-oppose diyan. Don’t forget, hanap buhay nila ‘yan, pero we have to go by what is right. Talagang endo is not right. Endo is exploitative,” he said.

Dee added that they have been extending their assistance to smaller companies on human resource matters as a means to address endo.

“For us, the primordial (concern) is how do we secure employees in the sense that they must be guaranteed tenure and they must be guaranteed full benefits,” Dee said.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has reported that since the start of the government’s crackdown against endo, over 25,000 contractual workers have been accorded with regular status by their employers.

The labor department said this is on track with their promise to end labor-only contractualization by the end of 2017.

Meanwhile, Federation of Free Workers’ Atty. Sonny Matula believes that employers found guilty of practicing endo and labor-only contracting should be meted with stricter penalties to ensure stricter compliance to labor laws.

“Palakasin ang implementation at compliance effort ng DOLE para mahikayat ang mga employer na sundin ang batas at irespeto ang karapatan ng mga manggagawa,” Matula said, adding
that his group supports the criminalization of labor-only contracting.

Matula said at least two bills have been filed in Congress calling for the criminalization of all forms of labor contracting. Both bills, filed by The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines and Bayan Muna, prescribe fines and jail time for erring employers.

ECOP honorary chairman Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., meanwhile, warned that such move would only impact foreign direct investments in the country and would result to the loss of more jobs.

“So long as the employers pay the correct wages and we could be like our Asian neighbors, you should be able to hire and fire employees as you need them,” Ortiz-Luis said.

“So if you are trying to compete and if you are, let’s say, a foreign direct investor that has interest in the country, and you are a manager sitting there thinking that you are treating, paying right salary…and all of a sudden you are a criminal, it really is a turnoff for investors,” he added.

Ortiz-Luis maintained that while the business sector is willing to cooperate with the government’s campaign, its bigger priority should be the creation of more jobs for Filipinos.