Labor-only contracting

ni Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta - @Magtanong Kay Attorney | October 20, 2022

Dear Chief Acosta,

Ang aking asawa ay naglilingkod sa factory bilang repacker. Siya ay kinuha ng agency upang maglingkod sa nasabing factory, ngunit matapos siya i-assign dito ay pinabayaan na sila. Tuwing siya ay magrereklamo tungkol sa kanilang sahod at iba pang benepisyo, siya ay tinuturo na lumapit sa kanyang agency na wala namang opisina sapagkat ang address nito ay sa bahay lamang ng sinasabing may-ari. Tuwing sila ay may pagkakamali sa trabaho, ang factory ang siyang nagbababa ng memo laban sa kanila. Sino ba talaga ang employer ng aking asawa? - Linda

Dear Linda,

Ang sagot sa iyong katanungan ay sinagot ng Korte Suprema sa kasong Polyfoam-RGC International, Corporation v. Edgardo Concepcion, G.R. No. 172349, June 13, 2012, na isinulat ni Kagalang-galang na dating Punong Mahistrado Diosdado M. Peralta, kung saan sinabi ng Korte Suprema na mayroong presumption na ang contractor ay kabilang sa “labor-only” contracting kung ito ay walang sapat na kapital. Ayon sa Korte Suprema:

“There is labor-only contracting where the person supplying workers to an employer does not have substantial capital or investment in the form of tools, equipment, machineries, work premises, among others, and the workers recruited and placed by such person are performing activities which are directly related to the principal business of such employer. In such cases, the person or intermediary shall be considered merely as an agent of the employer who shall be responsible to the workers in the same manner and extent as if the latter were directly employed by him.

x x x

The test of independent contractorship is "whether one claiming to be an independent contractor has contracted to do the work according to his own methods and without being subject to the control of the employer, except only as to the results of the work." In San Miguel Corporation v. Semillano, the Court laid down the criteria in determining the existence of an independent and permissible contractor relationship, to wit:

x x x [W]hether or not the contractor is carrying on an independent business; the nature and extent of the work; the skill required; the term and duration of the relationship; the right to assign the performance of a specified piece of work; the control and supervision of the work to another; the employer’s power with respect to the hiring, firing and payment of the contractor’s workers; the control of the premises; the duty to supply the premises, tools, appliances, materials, and labor; and the mode, manner and terms of payment.

x x x The presumption is that a contractor is a labor-only contractor unless he overcomes the burden of proving that it has substantial capital, investment, tools, and the like.”

Tulad ng iyong nabanggit, ang agency na nag-deploy sa iyong asawa ay walang sariling opisina, walang kagamitan at walang sapat na kapital upang masabing ito ay lehitimong contractor. Bukod dito, matapos ma-assign ng iyong asawa sa factory ay pinabayaan na sila. Sa aming pagkakaintindi, nangangahulugan ito na ang lahat ng bagay na may kinalaman sa kanyang trabaho, tulad ng suweldo, oras ng trabaho, pagdidisiplina at iba pa ay nakaatang sa may-ari ng factory na kanyang pinapasukan. Dahil dito, maaaring ikonsidera na “labor-only” contracting ang sitwasyon ng iyong asawa. Ibig sabihin, ang iyong asawa ay maituturing na empleyado ng factory na kanyang pinapasukan sa ilalim ng batas. Ang sinasabing agency ng iyong asawa ay agent o representative lamang ng factory na siyang tunay na employer.

Sana ay nabigyan namin ng linaw ang iyong katanungan. Ang payong aming ibinigay ay base lamang sa impormasyon na iyong inilahad at maaaring magbago kung mababawasan o madaragdagan ang mga detalye ng iyong salaysay.

Maraming salamat sa iyong patuloy na pagtitiwala.