MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Labor Day urged Congress to pass legislation to protect workers’ rights days after his national police chief blamed joblessness on labor protests for those rights. In his Labor Day message released Wednesday, Duterte lamented that the plight of Filipino workers, especially those working abroad, “remains the same.” But the chief executive said he hopes Congress will move forward on pending bills aimed to protect workers' rights. Duterte’s Labor Day message: Today, we celebrate the working class not as a tool of employers and capitalists, but as an essential catalyst for our nation’s overall progress. — Leni Robredo (@lenirobredo) May 1, 2019Duterte and contractualizationEven before election to president, Duterte vowed to end contractualization in a week. In a Labor Day celebration last year, Duterte announced he had signed an executive order which puts an end to illegal contractualization and provides security of tenure for Filipino workers.

Source: Philippine Star May 01, 2019 02:43 UTC