DAVAO CITY – The militant group Kilusang Mayo Uno protested in front of the office of the Department of Labor and Employment on Thursday to mark the 40 days after the Kentex factory fire killed mostly contractual workers.
The KMU said that the Kentex fire has exposed the sorry plight of the contractual workers as it called on government to end contractual employment.
KMU said the DOLE Order No. 18-A Series of 2011, which is the current set of guidelines governing contractual employment, “should be junked over what happened in Kentex.”
“Kentex shows that the distinction made by the law between illegal ‘labor-only contracting’ and legal ‘job contracting’ is an illusory one. All forms of contractualization should be banned and the first step should be to junk DO 18-A Series of 2011,” said Lito Ustarez, KMU vice-chairperson.
Kentex fire tragedy has exposed the company’s hiring of a manpower agency considered “fly-by-night” by the government and use of the “pakyawan” scheme.
Ustarez said contractual workers all suffer violations of basic workers’ rights to a living wage, legally-mandated benefits, and job security, as well as the right to form a union and collectively bargain.
Rea Alegre, spokesperson of All Worker’s Unity said contractualization “has been killing many workers for almost three decades now.”
“The government cannot impose on Kentex and other capitalists to uphold workers’ rights for that matter because contractualization is its national policy,” said Alegre.
Ustarez also criticized House Bill 573 or the “Security of Tenure Bill” at the House of Representatives filed by Akbayan Partylist Reps. Walden Bello and Ibarra Gutierrez. He said the bill will not give workers security of tenure.
“What’s needed is not mere regulation of contractualization but its complete banning,” said Ustarez.(davaotoday.com)
