San Fernando, Pampanga—Department of Labor and Employment officials are validating whether about 620 companies in Central Luzon are still practicing end of contract (“endo”) every six months.
The ending of “endo” was one of the election promises of President Rodrigo Duterte who accused the employers of becoming rich at the expense of poor employees.
The validation of the companies started this month and will last until next year.
Jerry Borja, public information officer of the DoLE in Central Luzon said the companies are mostly service providers, including security agencies, manpower recruitment, and constructions firms.
Borja said the validation is in line with the Department Order 18-8 which prohibits the hiring of employees every six months without benefits, as provided by labor laws.
The order also aims to help small and medium companies comply with the instruction so that they can continue operating, he said.
Labor officials were ordered to close companies who refuse to follow labor laws and continue to practice contractualization by canceling their permits.
The practice contracts workers to work for six months and denies them regularization. Labor laws mandate that these workers are entitled to complete benefits.
Employees who are being victimized by employers were urged to sue their employers before the National Labor Relations Commission to stop exploitation and uphold labor laws.