CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Some 22,728 workers were regularized by 164 firms from different parts of Central Luzon, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) regional office here.
DOLE Regional Director Zenaida Angara-Campita on Thursday said the regional office’s latest scorecard in reducing illegal contracting, “endo” and labor-only contracting (LOC), covers the first semester of this year.
Campita said the workers regularized in the first half of 2018 rose by an astonishing 772 percent as compared to 2,607 workers from 112 firms during the same period in 2017.
The latest scorecard also registered a 76-percent accomplishment rate of 30,000 workers targeted to be regularized by the regional labor agency this year.
Of the total number of workers regularized so far this year, 13,404 were voluntarily recognized as such by 103 firms through consultation and dialogue.
The remaining 9,324 workers, on the other hand, were regularized by 61 firms after being issued orders of compliance by the DOLE through routine inspection.
“We remain committed this year in our quest to ensure that more firms operating within the region will regularize their workers, deemed necessary and desirable in their day to day operation. Indeed, this latest scorecard is a significant milestone for us because more workers are secured with their jobs,” she said.
She also said that the DOLE regional and field offices are continuously adopting various strategies in its pursuit to eliminate illegitimate contracting, “endo” and LOC schemes.
Campita said that 20 labor inspectors were dispatched all over the region to assess establishments, principals, and contractors/subcontractors and to determine their compliance with general labor standards (GLS) and occupational safety and health (OSH) standards.
“More importantly, we are determining which among them are practicing prohibited work arrangements,” she said.
Various industries operating within and outside the region’s freeport and economic zones were covered under the DOLE’s region-wide labor inspection program.
Those firms found to be engaging in labor-only contracting and similar forms of work arrangements were subjected to mandatory conferences and were assisted in complying with GLS and OSH standards.
Campita thanked compliant establishments for their support and cooperation as she urged more firms to follow suit in regularizing their workers.
“We are hoping more establishments in Central Luzon will likewise realize the benefits of regularizing their workers and how this will further improve their businesses in the long run,” she added. (Zorayda Tecson/PNA)
