Labor coalition calls for Bello’s resignation

CEBU, Philippines - A broad labor coalition of labor unions and worker's organizations, Nagkaisa! is calling for the resignation of Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III for his failure to stop all forms of contractualization.

“Wala gituman ni Bello ang mando ni Presidente Duterte. Mao na nga kami sa Nagkaisa, we are demanding for his resignation,” said Dennis Derige, a co-convenor of Nagkaisa! and the spokesperson of Partido ng Manggagawa-Cebu.

Derige said that they will ask President Rodrigo Duterte to issue an Executive Order ending all forms of contratualization as part of his campaign promises.

Aside from this, the group is also demanding to scrap Department Order 174 of  Bello that legalized contractual employment.

Earlier, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines and Nagkaisa! call on President  Duterte to certify House Bill No. 4444, which seeks to abolish contractualization and criminalized the said act.

The group said that the spread of contractualization as the new norm exacerbates the impoverished situation of the working poor who are mostly contractual workers and who remain poor all their lives.

They said that contractual workers are voiceless, powerless and defenseless, adding that contractualization is one of the most blatant injustices in our country.

Around 500 members of  Nagkaisa! will hold a Labor Day rally this coming May 1.

Nagkaisa! is a coalition composed of the Associated Labor Union - Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP),  Partido ng Manggagawa, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, Kilusan-Makabayan, Alliance of Genuine Labor Organization, Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK), and Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa-Visayas, among others. (FREEMAN)