DOLE to regularize 300,000 ‘endo’ employees in 2018

DOLE to regularize 300,000 ‘endo’ employees in 2018

The Department of Labor and Employment is aiming to regularize up to 300,000 “endo” or contractual employees on less than six month deals.

Labor Secretary Bebot Bello said this was in compliance with President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to put a stop to the much maligned practice of big business, mostly retailers and fast food restaurants, to evade paying benefits and higher wages to employees by keeping them in six-month contracts.

Bello said the DOLE has stepped up its review of hiring policies of SM shopping malls, Jollibee, KFC, and McDonalds.

“If your business is retailing, you can’t hire sales ladies or food service crew as contractuals because these are your core employees,” said Bello.

Bilyonaryo Tony Tancaktiong has so far took the brunt of the governments anti-endo crackdown as the DOLE-National Capital Region recently ordered his food empire, Jollibee and sister firm Burger King, to regularize over 7,000 workers and refund close to P20 million illegally collected from contractuals such as unlawful wage deductions, bonds, donations, shares and other illegal payment collections.