Government starts assessing contractors for ‘endo’

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will start assessing the country’s 5,150 registered contractors and subcontractors to stamp out illegal outsourcing of work. Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said the assessment is part of DOLE’s efforts to put an end to “endo” (end of contract) practice. Endo is a practice where workers are hired on short-term contracts of less than six months for the contractor to avoid complying with laws on security of tenure, collective bargaining, benefits and other labor rights. Under the law, only project-based works in the industry and construction sectors are recognized. DOLE plans to reduce “endo” by 50% before the end of this year. The country’s 5,150 registered contractors and subcontractors employ 416,343 workers.