Labor groups are pushing for an executive order (EO)
to prohibit contractualization and replace the DO 174 of the Department of
Labor and Employment (DOLE). Members of the union Philippine Airlines
Employees Association (PALEA) and Partido Manggagawa (PM) marched at the
airport today in support of the proposed EO.
“Filipino workers demand an end to endo as promised
by President Rodrigo Duterte. DOLE’s DO 174 falls short of abolishing endo as
it merely regulates contractualization, no different from previous orders. Thus
the need for an EO that actually prohibits endo,” argued Gerry Rivera, PALEA
president and vice-chair of PM.
About a hundred PALEA and PM members marched from
the union headquarters at Baclaran to the Philippine Airlines In-Flight Center
near the NAIA Terminal 2.
Yesterday different labor groups such as PM, PALEA,
the labor coalition Nagkaisa and TUCP-Herrera wing finalized the draft EO and submitted
it to the office of DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello. A counterpart EO on
contractualization within public sector was also presented.
The two EO’s will then be endorsed for signing by
President Rodrigo Duterte, as agreed upon in a dialogue between labor groups
and the Secretary Bello last Nov. 8. The workers groups are also calling for
another dialogue between labor and President Duterte to get the administration’s
commitment to the EO prohibiting contractualization.
In the rally today, PALEA also called on President
Duterte to ask Lucio Tan and PAL to likewise fulfill their obligation to some
600 retrenched PAL workers who have yet to be reinstated as regular workers
according to the terms of a settlement agreement forged in 2013 to resolve the
outsourcing dispute. President Duterte is aware of this as it was brought to
his attention in a dialogue with labor groups at Malacanang last February 27.
“Four years ago last November 14, 2013, PAL signed
a deal to end the contractualization row at the national flag carrier. PALEA
complied with the terms of the settlement agreement including the dismantling
of the picketline at the In-Flight Center. PAL however has not honored the most
important provision of the agreement which is the re-employment of the
outsourced workers,” explained Rivera.
The picket also coincides with a “Global Day of
Action against Union Repression” that was observed by workers in Australia,
Asia and North America. Yesterday, about a hundred export zone workers in
Cavite held a rally as part of the global day of action.
Photos of the airport rally can be accessed at:
PALEA
November 17, 2017
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