ILOILO City – Militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan Panay) slammed the proposed House Bill 4802 extending the regularization of workers to 24 months instead of six months.
According to Elmer Forro, secretary general of Bayan Panay, the proposed bill is anti-worker, violates the workers’ right to security of tenure, and will strengthen the labor contractualization scheme.
House Bill 4802 is proposed by party-list Probinsyano Ako’s Cong. Jose Singson Jr. It seeks to amend the Labor Code allowing the employers to avoid automatic regularization of workers after six months.
“The bill, if passed into law, will only press our workers deeper into poverty and further violation of their rights,” warned Forro.
He added: “They are already suffering from low and meager wages. With this bill, employers can continue to exploit the labor of our workers without paying them proper wages and giving them benefits.”
The bill, according to Forro, will only benefit the employers who have long been exploiting and profiting from the labor of the workers.
“Employers have long circumvented the law and have the backing of the Duterte administration in continuing the contractualization at the expense of the workers. The President has already vetoed the Security of Tenure Bill and with this new bill, it is only a matter of time for it to be passed if the workers will not unite to oppose it,” added Forro.
Forro called on the workers to oppose the bill and the people to support their plight to end contractualization and fight to wage increase./PN
