LEGAZPI CITY -– The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Region 5 said a total of 11,800 workers across the Bicol region gained regular employment in their companies from January to September 2018.
Of this number, 6,467 were regularized after inspections conducted by the Labor department while, 5,333 were regularized voluntarily by their respective employers.
DOLE-Bicol data showed that 326 establishments in all Bicol provinces regularized their workers from January to September 2018. Also, at least 226 companies regularized their employees upon visit by the agency’s inspectors, while 100 establishments voluntarily regularized their own workers.
“We want to stop the practice of illegal contractualization by means of promoting voluntary regularization of workers in Bicol as our developmental approach/strategy that we employ in the region in response to government’s call to end contractualization,” said lawyer Alvin M. Villamor, DOLE regional director.
“They have to welcome it as a chance and capitalize on it to regularize workers,” he added.
To curb “Endo” (end of contract) and “contractualization”, an extensive campaign intended to encourage private establishments to implement voluntary regularization scheme in the region has been vigorously conducted by the department.
Labor management fora were conducted in Sorsogon while, similar activities are set in Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte in the second and third week of October.
DOLE-Bicol recognizes establishments that observe labor rules and regulations, especially on contractualization.
Villamor also explained the importance of SEnA (Single Entry Approach), an administrative approach to provide a speedy, impartial, inexpensive, and accessible settlement procedure for all issues/complaints arising from employer-employee relations to prevent them from ripening into full blown disputes.
Under this approach, all labor and employment disputes undergo a 30-day mandatory conciliation-mediation process to effect settlement among the contending parties. ( Connie Calipay/PNA)