Muling inihain sa Senado ang isang panukalang batas na magbabawal sa contractualization sa bansa dahil matagal na umano itong dapat naisabatas, ayon kay Senador Joel Villanueva.
Sa pahayag, sinabi ni Villanueva na isa sa kanyang mga priority bill ang panukalang Security of Tenure and End of Endo (end of contract) sa pagbubukas ng ika-20 Kongreso sa Hunyo 30.
“Stop endo or stop contractualization has been the longstanding and resounding call of our workers. Endo or the repeated short-term employment without the possibility of regularization is oppressive and directly undermines the constitutional rights of workers,” ani Villanueva.
Kahit hawak ni Villanueva ang Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development sa 19th Congress, hindi ito nakalusot sa plenaryo.
Layunin ng panukala na amendahan ang ilang probisyon sa Labor Code of the Philippines, na nagsasabing bawal ang labor-only contracting (LOC).
“Specifically, it provides that LOC exists when the contractor merely supplies workers to the principal; the workers supplied are performing tasks directly related to the principal business of the contractee; and the contractor does not exercise direct control over the deployed workers,” ayon kay Villanueva.
Ipinunto ni Villanueva na itinuturing na LOC ang isang negosyo na nagsusuplay ng paggawa para sa gawain na direktang may kaugnayan sa pangunahing function ng kontratista, at ang paggamit ng wholesale outsourcing ng core functions ay minamaliit ang constitutional guarantee sa security of tenure.
“This provision has been favorably endorsed by the Department of Labor and Employment based on its practical experience with enforcement and litigation,” ayon sa senador.
Idinagdag pa ni Villanueva na kahit ang Department of Labor and Employment ay nagsasabing gagawing simple ng mga amendment ang interpretasyon at implementasyon ng batas, at mababawasan ang legal ambiguity.
Aniya, binibigyan ng kapangyarihan ang mga industry tripartite council na tukuyin ang mga trabahong direktang may kaugnayan sa pangunahing negosyo ng contractee o principal.
“Through the tripartite process, workers can voice their concerns about job outsourcing, while employers can present the operational realities and evolving demands of their business,” aniya.
“This framework ensures that labor policy remains relevant, flexible, and balanced,” giit ng senador.
Umaasa si Villanueva na makakakuha ng suporta ang panukala mula sa mga mambabatas at Malacañang upang mapabilis ang pagsasabatas nito.
“It’s high time for Congress to find a way to grant security of tenure to thousands of contractual workers in the private sector,” ani Villanueva.
“The grant of regular status will make our workers more productive, innovative, and driven. Investing in our human resources will be very well worth it,” giit pa ng senador.
— Ernie Reyes
