Marcos on 'endo': The reality is some jobs are seasonal
MANILA, Philippines — Presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said he will look into ending contractual labor if elected president but also said that that kind of prohibition cannot apply to all industries.
He said that proposals to end the practice of 'endo' — short labor contracts where workers do not get the benefits that regular employees do — should take into account that some jobs are seasonal. Employers opposed to the moves to end 'endo' had said that they only hire contractual labor when demand for workers is higher.
"Kung sakali man na makaupo ako ay babalikan natin titingnan natin, ayusin natin para — tama nga naman na it applies only to those businesses that are not seasonal," he said in an interview aired Monday on One PH's "KandidaTalks".
(If I am elected, we will review that and fix it because, that's right, it should only apply to businesses that are not seasonal.)
"Endo", from "end of contract", initially referred to the practice of short-term contracts short of the six months that would make a worker a regular employee with benefits.
It has since been expanded to include contractual labor in general, which, IBON think tank said contributes to "the prevalence of jobs that are insecure, low-paying, and lacking in benefits."
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In the interview aired Monday, Marcos said: "We have to adjust to reality, at sasabihing, pero bigay natin yung safety ng may, pagka hindi seasonal ang trabaho, na merong security yung ating mga empleyado, at nakukuha nila yuung kanilang benepisyo."
(We have to adjust to reality and also say that... if the job is not seasonal, then employees should have security and should get their benefits)
End 'endo' campaign under Duterte
While campaigning for the presidency, Duterte promised to end the practice of 'endo'. In 2018, the Labor department issued an order imposing a ban on labor-only contracting, strictly regulating lawful contractual arrangements and including workers in inspecting compliance with labor standards and laws but the Palace said further protections would be up to Congress.
Duterte certified legislation to amend the Labor Code as urgent but later vetoed a bill that the House of Representatives and the Senate passed in 2019.
"I believe the sweeping expansion of the definition of labor-only contracting destroys the delicate balance and will place capital and management at an impossibly difficult predicament with adverse consequences to the Filipino workers in the long-term," the president said then.
Marcos said Duterte was correct.
"Ang nangyari diyan, meron nang napasang batas to end contractualization ngunit hindi pinirmahan ni Pangulong Duterte dahil may dahilan nga naman na sinabi niya na lahat na lang ng empleyado eh applicable ang batas na yun, ngunit meron naman talaga trabaho na seasonal na hindi naman buong taon, agriculture for example, very simple na example kaya't yun ang naging, kaya't hindi nya pinirmahan," he said.
(What happened there, was there was a bill passed to end contractualization but President Duterte did not sign it because there is a reason that he said that that bill would be applicable to all employees but there are some jobs that are seasonal and that do not exist all year, like agriculture for example. Very simple example, so that is why, that is why he did not sign it.)
Duterte did not mention that in his veto message.
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