DOLE Bicol reports more contract workers absorbed by local firms

by DOLE MANILA -- More local firms in the region have voluntarily absorbed their contract workers 14 days after attending the Department...

by DOLE

MANILA -- More local firms in the region have voluntarily absorbed their contract workers 14 days after attending the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Regional Office No. 5’s ‘endo’ regional consultation. “Actually we were expecting this to happen. We know that our local firms would understand the context of ‘endo’ and will positively react to it,” DOLE-Bicol OIC Regional Director Atty. Ma. Karina Perida-Trayvilla said in an interview with the tri-media. Based on recent records, 285 contract workers were absorbed as regular employees by 24 local firms or principals from all over the region. The term principal is used by DOLE to refer to the main business firm or establishment that hires the services of a manpower agency. The absorbed contract workers were from shopping malls, restaurants, manufacturing, distribution, electric cooperative, sales and even from a national government agency. “This is a very positive development. At least the absorption of the workers were voluntary. We hope that other establishments will follow,” Trayvilla explained. It can be recalled that during the regional consultation, DOLE Bicol OIC RD Trayvilla reiterated that it will be more beneficial to both the manpower agency and the principal to voluntarily absorb workers rather than wait for DOLE-Bicol to rule a Labor-Only-Contracting (LOC) arrangement. DOLE Bicol said that if the absorption of workers were voluntarily done by the principal, the office may even give some sort of leeway in terms of giving monetary benefits, which is better compared to issuing a compliance order. “If we issue a compliance order, the process would have to be followed. What the order says must be upheld. So we really suggest that we do it the voluntary way,” Trayvilla added. On the other hand, 10 manpower agencies went to DOLE Bicol to seek audience regarding the ‘endo’ issue. The meeting, which was aimed to clear more issues about ‘endo’, was a voluntary act of local manpower agencies operating in the region. “Again, we welcome this development. It is a good indication that they are the ones coming to us already,” RD Trayvilla stressed. DOLE Bicol have publicly announced that at least 50 percent of the recorded contract workers must be absorbed by the principals before the end of 2016 which is in adherence to the directives of DOLE Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III and President Rodrigo Duterte. (DOLE)