Bello also tasked the regional offi ces to make contractual workers nationwide regularly employed, unless they are not covered by statutes that allow for contractual workers.
This was disclosed in a press conference here yesterday by Central Luzon DOLE director Anna Dione, even as she and other DOLE of- fi cials met with investors in this freeport to explain Pres. Duterte’s policy against contractualization.
“There no new law against contractualization. The law has been there all along and we are just making sure it is fi nally enforced,” she said.
Dione said Bello has imposed deadlines for regional DOLE offices to enforce the law against illegal contractualization. “Fifty percent this year, and total compliance by next year,” she noted.
Dione explained that contractualization refers to the practice of employers to directly hire people under a fi xed period of employment not exceeding six months, so as to skirt provisions of the law that mandates regular employment status for those who have worked in a fi rm over six month.
“The law prohibis this, as there is constitutional right of security of tenure that is in the Labor Code,” she stressed.
Dione said, however, that not all contractualization measures are illegal. “There is such a thing as legitimate contracting, as when one hires a contractor who, in turn, hires workers to accomplish a project one wants completed,” she explained.
She said, however, that the DOLE is still in the process of reviewing possible amendments to the implementing rules against legitimate contracting to make the policy more responsive to the welfare of both workers and employers.
“Admittedly, however, DOLE needs more assessor to fast track monitoring of compliance by companies, but we are asking them not to wait for DOLE and just comply,” she said.
Dione said she expected “results” on voluntary regularization of “endo’s” within September.
