Fruit giant Dole Philippine Inc. (Dolefil) has committed to regularize some 4,765 contractual workers in support to the national government’s efforts to eliminate labour-only contracting practices.

Sisinio Cano, regional director of the Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE)-Region 12, said Tuesday the company has started preparations for the regularization of its workers in coordination with its workers’ unio. He said such a move was an offshoot of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) forged last Friday by Dolefil and its labour-management council Dolefil-Kaugnay.

Under the agreement, he said the company committed to regularize some 4,173 workers under its cannery operations in Polomolok town in South Cotabato and an additional 592 workers under its upper valley operations based in Surallah town.

The regularization process will be made within one year after the signing of the MOA, which was personally witnessed by DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Undersecretary Joel Maglunsod and Assistant Secretary Benjo Santos Benavidez.

Cano said such commitment was on top of the regularization of some 1,962 company workers in response to a compliance order issued by the agency.

Dolefil was among the 23 companies issued with compliance orders by DOLE-12 in the last two years in line with the national government’s campaign against labour-only contracting.

Labour-only contracting is an arrangement “wher the contractor or subcontractor merely recruits, supplies or places workers to perform a job, work or service for a principal.” Such practices, along with end-of-contract or “endo” and “555” schemes, were prohibited under the Labour Code and DOLE Department Order No. 174.

Randy Fleming, Dolefil vice president and managing director, said in a statement that the company is fully committed to complying with the provisions of the MOA regarding the regularization of its workers: “Although we are facing competition in the global market, we will be in full compliance with what is stated in the MOA and we will regularized workers as (agreed).”

Mindanews.com also quoted Fleming as saying that as part of the process, the affected workers will undergo screening and evaluation. In line with the move, he assured that the company will continue to work with its workers unio and local stakeholders.

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