Baldoz’s defense of outsourcing shows DOLE anti-contractualization statements all lies – KMU

“Baldoz’s defense of outsourcing exposes her anti-contractualization statements as mere lies.”


This was labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno’s statement today, after Labor secretary Rosalinda Baldoz defended the government’s policy allowing outsourcing in a meeting of the International Labor Organization in Kyoto, Japan yesterday, saying her statements about ending contractualization before she left for the meeting are exposed as untrue.


“Outsourcing means the contractualization of workforces. The Labor department, which is merely creating a semblance of regulation among contractors and subcontractors, is just trying to take advantage of a new policy to make a publicity blitz announcing that it is ending contractualization,” said Elmer “Bong” Labog, KMU chairperson.


“Before Sec. Baldoz left for this ILO meeting, she was making noises about a new department order which she said will end contractualization. Now that she is in the ILO meeting, she is defending the government’s policy allowing outsourcing,” he added.


“Sec. Baldoz was just lying before the Filipino workers and people on contractualization. It is simply not true that the government is balancing the rights of workers with those of employers on key labor issues,” he said.


KMU was referring to the Department of Labor and Employment Order No. 18-A Series of 2011, released just last November, which sets regulations on the accreditation of contractors and subcontractors.


Saving face


The labor center also said that the DOLE created the DO to save face before the ILO gathering, given the government’s notoriety in approving contractualization in many cases including the labor dispute in Philippine Airlines.


“The truth is that the DO which claims to ban fly-by-night contractors and subcontractors was released after the implementation of outsourcing in PAL. Worse, the contractors in PAL are suspected of being dummy companies of PAL owner Lucio Tan,” Labog said.


“The contractor in the Eton Tower incident, in which 10 workers died, and the contractors in the Keppel Subic Shipyard incident, in which six workers died, are all fly-by-night contractors. These are some of the reasons that the government is trying to save face on the issue of contractualization,” he added. Elmer Labog, KMU chairperson