(We yield this space to the statement of labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno due to its timeliness. – Ed.)
WE STRONGLY condemn President Duterte for making fools out of Filipino workers by refusing to sign an executive order (EO) against contractualization as he promised during previous labor dialogues.
Duterte has put to waste the two years of negotiations and social dialogues with workers to come up with plausible means of ending contractualization. It is a fact that during the Labor Day dialogue last May 1, 2017, it was Duterte himself who asked the labor sector to draft an EO that he would immediately sign. However, like his other promises and pretensions, Duterte refused to deliver. This further proves that his tough-talk against contractualization was a mere publicity stunt to woo workers’ votes like all other traditional politicians.
By refusing to sign the labor sector draft EO, Duterte has totally rejected the Filipino workers’ demands for regular and decent jobs. Instead, he chose to uphold big business interests in promoting contractual employment therefore subjecting more workers to gross labor rights violations and exploitation.
The EO would have been the last straw for Duterte to prove that he will remain committed to his promise especially after he further legitimized contractualization through the implementation of the DOLE Order 174 and the railroading of the pro-contractualization House Bill 6908. Instead, Duterte only proved our position that he is anti-worker and a lackey of big local and foreign businesses that promotes contractual employment. For this he deserves only the Filipino workers’ wrath and ire.
Duterte’s mockery of Filipino workers and of our legitimate demands will never be forgiven. On May 1, International Labor Day, hundreds of thousands of Filipino workers across the country will show their outrage over Duterte’s rejection of our demands for regular and decent jobs in a nationwide workers’ and people’s protest.
