MANILA - A new "endo" bill that will ban all kinds of contractualization for workers is unlikely to be approved by President Rodrigo Duterte during the pandemic, an employers group said Monday.

Ending labor contractualization, also known as "endo", was one of Duterte's 2016 campaign promises that catapulted him to the presidency.

Duterte however vetoed the Security of Tenure Bill in 2019 which sought to end labor contractualization.

Drafting another version of the endo bill which aims to end "all sorts of contract, which is not possible internationally" is unlikely to be signed into law, especially in the middle of the pandemic, according to Sergio Ortiz-Luis, president of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP).

"If in the time prior to the pandemic, it’s not possible and the President did not allow it, how he can even agree for the endorsement of this bill, which I suspect is basically spelling out some of the things he vetoed," he said.

Duterte's administration had already put an end to the "555" scheme, or the hiring and replacing workers after 5 months to avoid regularization, Ortiz-Luis Jr said.

"I don’t think this will even move an inch in being entertained by the president," he added.

Another version of the Security of Tenure been has been filed.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III this month asked President Rodrigo Duterte to certify as urgent a bill that seeks to end labor contractualization.

• Labor dept drafts new 'security of tenure' bill to stop 'endo'

Watch more in iWantv or TFC.tv