TIM eMagazine Vol.3 Issue 7
DOLE backs
security of tenure
bill
T
he Department of Labor and
Employment (DOLE) has
thrown its full support to the
Senate in the final push for
the passage of the Security
of Tenure Bill.
Labor Assistant Secretary
Joji Aragon said her team
was instructed by Secretary Silvestre Bello III to provide all the necessary
technical assistance to the senators as the Senate hammers out its version
of the job security measure.
Senator Joel Villanueva, labor committee chairman, sponsored Senate Bill
No. 1826 or the “Act strengthening the workers right to security of tenure”
now subject to plenary interpellation.
“Upon orders and guidance from Secretary Bello, we are providing
assistance to the lawmakers and to Senator Villanueva who sponsored
for the passage of the measure. We look forward to its immediate
advancement to the bicameral committee,” Aragon said.
Last September 21, President Duterte certified the SOT bill as urgent
and requested for its immediate enactment to eliminate illegal forms of
labor contractualization in the country.
The proposed law will amend the Labor Code on the prohibition of labor-
only contracting and other provisions that allow contracting arrangements.
The amendment will also clearly define the nature of the work and activities
that may be contracted out.
DOLE has been steadfast in its position that should the duties and
responsibilities of a worker be directly related to the main business of the
company, such as salesladies working in malls, they shall be considered as
regular employees of the principal/ employer.
Under the proposed law, a transition support program for job contracting
is provided with a three-month financial support for employees in between
job periods and conditioned on undergoing skills training or upgrading
under TESDA and accredited training institutions during the period of
unemployment.
The Senate is expected to resume deliberations on the bill this week.
www.dole.gov.ph
DOLE supports
telecommuting
bill
W
ith the rapid
transformation
of the world
of work due to
technological
advancement, the
labor department
is urging other
government agencies to support the passage of the telecommuting bill.
At the 2018 National Productivity Conference in Manila, the labor
department has called on other government agencies to strengthen
measures that would encourage workers and enterprises to take
full advantage of the vast opportunities of rapid automation and
digitalization, including enhancing access to new technologies.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, in his message read by
Undersecretary Ciriaco Lagunzad III during the Conference, urged
other government agencies to support the immediate passage of the
telecommuting bill.
Anchoring on the theme 'People-Centric Technologies, Breakthrough
Innovation for Productive MSMEs,’ the Secretary underscored the digital
technology's influence on the alternative forms of work model shifting
which is from the traditional and onsite locations to remote work sites.
“The DOLE is pushing for its immediate passage to ensure that
notwithstanding the location of work, workers’ rights and welfare
are protected, especially at the speed with which technological
developments are taking shape,” Bello said.
Lagunzad, who is also the chairperson of the National Wages and
Productivity Commission (NWPC), an attached agency of DOLE and
lead organizer of the biennial conference, also emphasized the support
of DOLE in the proposed bill that seeks to enhance protection for the
workers engaged in telecommuting.
House Bill 7402, or the Telecommuting Act, and its counterpart
measure, Senate Bill 1363 or the Telecommuting Act of 2017, are both
geared towards enhancing the protection and promotion of workers’
rights and welfare engaged in telecommuting and other flexible work
arrangements.
The productivity conference was aimed at driving the micro, small
and medium enterprises (MSME) sector to increasingly adopt growth-
accelerating technologies and innovation with the emergence of the
4th industrial revolution.
The event underscored the critical role of innovation, creativity,
and breakthrough technologies as fundamental forces that will drive
the sustainable growth and expansion of the country’s MSME sector.
www.dole.gov.ph
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