Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Monday branded as “dead on arrival” in the chamber the House proposal to extend the maximum period of probationary employment from six months to 24 months or two years.
“I will oppose its passage. If the House passes it, consider it DOA in the Senate. This is not justified. This is not reasonable,” said Drilon.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the proposal practically goes against the move to remove contractualization, saying it needed a considerable amount of study.
Senator Francis Pangilinan warned that if passed into law, House Bill 4802 may open the floodgates to even greater abuse.
He noted that security of tenure of labor is a right recognized and protected by our Constitution.
“Lengthening the probationary period threefold prevents the worker from enjoying such a right under our Charter,” he said.
After facing criticisms, the lawmaker who authored the bill extending the probationary employment of workers to two years said his proposal had started to draw support as “a swift but lasting fix” to end the contract manner of hiring personnel.
Probinsyano Ako Party-list Rep. Jose Singson, author of House Bill 4208, made the statement as he rejected calls from oppositors to withdraw the bill.
“Definitely not. Some may accept this as a middle ground that will lay to rest the endo controversy but a closer look at its provisions will show its true pro-labor color,” Singson said.
According to Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo, President Rodrigo Duterte agreed with Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III to reject the proposal.
Singson defended the intent of his bill.
“This bill will protect workers from being fired every six months and give them a better chance to prove their worth as a regular employee,” Singson said.
Singson said the bill provided that workers would enjoy probationary status where they would enjoy benefits that were nearly similar to a regular employment.
Singson also expressed readiness to debate with colleagues in Congress in defense of HB 4208, saying various workers groups who initially turned down his idea, were now its supporters.
Under his proposal, workers will have a longer period of specializing in the positions they occupy. On the other hand, employers will benefit more from better trained workers.
Aside from concerned government officials, Makabayan bloc lawmakers have also rejected HB 4208 which they assailed for its constitutional violations.
Senate labor committee chairman Joel Villanueva believes the six-month probationary period is enough for an employer to check on his new employees.
“Applicants go through a battery of tests and a series of interviews to determine their fitness for the job,” he said.
The six-month probationary period, Villanueva said, is the window of opportunity for employers to vet if the skills of the applicant meet their requirement.
“It is up to the employer to set performance indicators to determine if the applicant is the right fit for the job,” further stated Villanueva.
According to the senator, it is the responsibility of the employers to check the progress of their employees to make sure they meet their companies’ standards.
In terms of priority, he swid it is important that the government focus on building the skills of the workers.
“Last Congress, we authored the Tulong Trabaho Act which establishes a fund to finance the training of workers in in-demand jobs. We hope to see the full implementation of this law next year,” also said Villanueva.
House Bill 4802 was filed by Probinsyano Ako party-list Representative Jose “Bonito” Singson Jr. who said the six-month probationary employment period prescribed under the Labor Code is not enough to assess whether an employee is qualified for regularization, particularly in positions requiring specialized skills and talents.
