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Philippine President vetoes bill to end contract work

28 August, 2019Trade unions in the Philippines have expressed dismay over President Duterte’s last minute veto on 26 July of a bill to end short-term employment.

The President states that notwithstanding the veto, he will continue to stand by his “firm commitment to protect the workers’ right to security of tenure by eradicating all forms of abusive employment practices”. However, unions are wary and waiting to see what will be the President’s next steps to keep his campaign promise to end all forms of short-term employment.

“This bill would provide a legislative arena for working towards eradicating contract work, which the President had promised to end, but then vetoed,” says Eva Arcos, IndustriALL executive committee member. “And his reason was the bill was not fair, as it did not respect capital’s right to earn a profit.”

IndustriALL affiliates in the Philippines are continuing the campaign to end contract work on company level, raising awareness and increasing support for a law that will put a stop to the current abusive practice of short-term employment.

“The Philippine trade union movement has been fighting an uphill battle to eliminate all forms of precarious work including short-term employment. It is a practice that must end, as precarious work undermines workers’ rights to decent pay, benefits, just work terms and  conditions, right to organize and bargain collectively,”

says Annie Adviento, regional secretary of IndustriALL South East Asia office.