GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 27 April) – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Region 12 has ordered the regularization of some 2,175 private workers who were reportedly employed under illegal contractualization schemes.
Sisinio Cano, DOLE-Region 12 director, said the concerned workers were from eight companies in the region that they earlier found to have violated government regulations on labor contractualization.
He said these include the prohibited “endo” or end-of-contract and labor-only contracting practices.
The official said they had issued compliance orders to the eight companies for the regularization of their workers.
“Six of them have signified to comply with the order while two have lodged appeals before the Office of the Secretary,” he said.
He did not cite the erring companies but said they were among the 60 that were assessed with violations on various labor laws and regulations in a series of inspections conducted by the agency.
The inspections were in line with the national government’s efforts to end prevailing illegal labor contractualization practices, especially “endo.”
A number of companies were also found to have violated provisions of the General Labor Standards, among them the non-payment of prescribed minimum wage, and the Occupational Health and Safety Standards.
For this year, Cano said they are targeting to cover a total of 1,317 employers or companies for the “comprehensive assessment.”
He said these include manufacturing companies, shopping malls and other commercial establishments.
As of Thursday, he said the agency’s labor laws compliance officers have already inspected and assessed some 378 companies or 23.41 percent of their target.
“We’re mainly conducting detailed review of the prevailing work arrangements in these companies,” the official said.
Aside from possible violations on labor laws, he said they are also looking into some operational gaps or problems that should be addressed by the concerned companies.
DOLE has launched a crackdown against establishments and companies that are practicing “endo” and labor-only contracting arrangements on orders from President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III initially ordered DOLE regional offices last year to stop accepting applications from new third-party service providers.
In March, Bello issued Department Order No. 174 that sets the prohibition on “repeated hiring of employees by contractors under an employment contract of short duration that falls short of the mandated six months to qualify for regularization.”
It also identified various labor contractualization schemes that are deemed illegal under existing laws. (MindaNews)
