MANILA, Philippines — After President Duterte vetoed the Security of Tenure (SOT) bill, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will be coming out with a new and more “acceptable” version of the measure.
At a press conference yesterday, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Duterte ordered DOLE to draft a new SOT bill that would be acceptable to both workers and employers.
Bello said the proposal would be submitted to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting on Aug. 5.
“We would like to assure workers that this is not the end of their cause. The mere fact that the President ordered a review means it’s a step forward,” he said.
Contrary to public perception, Bello said, the President’s real intention in vetoing the SOT bill is to secure the workers’ employment.
He said Duterte was surprised with the negative reactions to the vetoed bill as the President believes his decision was meant to protect workers from possible displacement.
Bello said the bill was vetoed because of its definition of the labor only contracting employment scheme and its adverse effects on businesses.
The bill, he said, secures the employment of regular workers since it simplified their classification.
Bello said the President wanted a better version of the bill that will provide leeway to the business sector.
“The President wants a clearer and more focused version that will serve both the purpose of the employers and the workers,” he said.
The DOLE will look into other SOT proposals and try to find ways to assimilate and come out with a better version.
Labor Assistant Secretary Benjo Benavidez said DOLE would look into the extent of management’s prerogative in outsourcing workers.?“There has to be some specifics or parameters to determine this,” Benavidez said.
Bello said the employers apparently wanted to have the authority to choose which jobs to outsource.
The law said such power lies with the industry tripartite council.
Benavidez denied employers’ claims that the vetoed SOT bill would cost them additional P50 billion and result in the displacement of thousands of workers.
“Those data must be verified. We will look into the basis of those figures,” he said, referring to the possible displacement of 600,000 workers.
Refiled
Sen. Joel Villanueva yesterday refiled his vetoed SOT bill, saying the President needed to strike a balance between the interest of capitalists and workers.
Villanueva said he filed the exact SOT bill which Duterte had earlier certified as urgent.
He said he is counting on his colleague, neophyte Sen. Christopher Go, to explain the matter to the President.
“There are a lot of factors that may affect it. This time we have Sen. Bong Go who could explain more effectively to the President,” Villanueva told reporters.
“This is actually the same, which was certified as a priority and urgent. Why is it exactly the same? Because we wanted to find out from the President’s men who influenced him to veto it,” he added.
Villanueva said the President is apparently misinformed, especially on claims that the SOT bill would have a negative impact on the economy.
He said the three points raised by the President in vetoing the SOT were clearly defined in the bill.
Meanwhile, labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said its sectoral representative would refile the same SOT bill in the House.
The group said the vetoed bill contained provisions that the President wanted, like the creation of a tripartite council in every industry.
The council will determine which jobs can be outsourced or classified under the labor-contracting scheme.
“What the President needs to do is to, again, certify the SOT bill as urgent so he would be able to fulfil his promise to end labor contracting,” TUCP said in a statement.
The Federation of Free Workers urged the Senate to include in the new SOT bill provisions that prohibit multiple contracting and fixed term employment as well as to impose a fine of P30,000 on violators. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe