Ending ‘endo’ benefits 1,585 workers in Eastern Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY, Feb. 27 (PNA) – The drive to end “endo” is gaining ground in Eastern Visayas with the regularization of 1,585 contractual workers in private firms as of last week, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported Monday.

The labor department expects the number of workers that would benefit from the move to curb illegal contractualization would continue to rise every month with the ongoing inspection of more establishments.

Of the total, 217 of them were regularized in the first three weeks of February as DOLE officials stepped up inspection down to smaller shops.

DOLE also completed the assessment of hundreds of workers in malls and big shops in this city.

“One thing for sure, there would be an order for absorption of contractual workers given that the nature of their work is necessary in the business and that they have been working for more than a year already,” said DOLE Eastern Visayas regional information officer Virgilio Doroja.

The regional office here has been waiting for the approval of Department Order (DO) 30 meant to replace DO 18-A, or the rules implementing the Articles 106 to 109 of the Labor Code.

Doroja explained that some of the provisions of DO 18-A implemented to regulate contractualization were not in compliance with the provisions of the Labor Code.

In DOLE’s review, they found that DO 18-A legitimizes a perpetual contractual arrangement as long as contractors and subcontractors complied with some of the requirements.

Under the Labor Code, companies may only use contractual arrangements for positions which are seasonal or project-based in nature and are not part of the core function of their operations.

“The new order will really guide us who should be ordered for regularization,” Doroja added. Once the new directive is out, we can expect more regularized workers this year.

The DOLE adopted two tracks in eliminating illegitimate contractualization, including labor-only contracting or ‘endo.’

In the first track, the DOLE regional offices conducted series of consultations and meetings to encourage employers to voluntarily regularize workers who are under “endo” and labor-only contracting arrangements.

For the second track, labor laws compliance officers inspected establishments, principals and contractors which are practicing labor-only contracting arrangements.


Those found to be engaged in labor-only contracting are subjected to mandatory conferences to assist them in their compliance with labor standards.(PNA)
FPV/SARWELL Q. MENIANO