il rursoay JANUARv L4,za2o

'2M jobless workers welcome NewYear'

By MaricelV. Cruz "upsurge trend" in the hiring of temporary
workers.
AT LEAST t.wo million workers lost theirjobs ALU-TUCP earlier said around 1.5 million
at the start ofthe new year. and 2 million contactual and seasonal
House Deputy Minority Leader and workers were hired, supposedly to beefup the
Probinsyano Ako party-list Rep. Jose Singson mix of confractual and regular workforce of
Jr. said the workers who were rendered jobless businesses during the yuletide season.
were mostly t€mporary help who were hired The labor group even recognized that
to augment the manpower needs of various the said massive hiring happ'ened between
cornpanies during the Christnas holidays. December and January and according to
Singson is the author of House Bill (HB) them, is allowed underthe law
4802 or the measure that proposes to exterrd Alan Tanjusay, ALU-TUCP spokesperson,
the current six-month probationary period of added that they noticed the upsurge tend
workers to twenty-four months, for cheap skilled and unskilled seasonal,
"I have been pilloried, subjected to personal temporary"and on-call workers in the labor
attacks and heavily criticize.d, mostly from market in time for Christmas and New Year.
progressive-minded labor groups because of This admission of ALU-TUCP, Singson
my bill. But loolg there is now this very sad said, only confirms his position that there is a
reality that after the 4ew yeal's revelry, mme "vicious cycle" wherein workers or employees
or less two million workers no longer have are being hired, but are also being terminated
theirjobs and it'sjob hunting season anew for even before the end of their supposed six-
them," Singson said. month probation.
Singson said a major labor union admitted "This is a clear validation for the fomdation
that those trerminated after the holidays were of my advocacy to extend the prescribed
employed for only one month. period ofprobation which aims to solve of the
The Alliance of Labor Unions-Trade Union vicious cycle of massive termination before
Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), the six-month period lapses," the Hous€
one of the critics of IB 4802, note.d the Deputy Minority Leader said.

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