Youth group calls on SM to reveal number of contractual employees 

Youth group Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) on Tuesday challenged SM Supermalls to report to the public the extent of contractualization in the company.

 

In an emailed statement, SPARK called on SM management to "reveal the extent of the contractualization in their company, contents of the contracts of their employees, enumerate and articulate on the varying employment schemes of what they call 'outright and consignee employee' as well as their working conditions."

 

SM management in a statement said it was "compliant with all labor laws and regulations in the conduct of its business."

 

Also, SM Investments Corp. had said that it did not practice contractualization of employees. Rather, it hired seasonal workers to beef up its workforce according to its needs. [http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/564254/money/companies/sm-claims-it-doesn-t-practice-contractualization]

 

“For the record, when we talk about contractualization, SM does not do contractualization. We do hire for seasons, short-term,” SMIC President Harley T. Sy said in April.

 

“Seasonal is based on our requirement. This is to fulfill our short-term requirements. It could be for two to three months,” he said, noting that the company usually needs additional labor force during the Christmas season as well as the start of classes.

 

In a statement issued last month, SM also responded to criticism that it only had a minimal percentage of regular employees.

 

"Group-wide employee head count as of 2015 is 94,516, employed in various companies under the SM Group which include companies engaged in banking, financing,  property, retail, malls, hotel, resorts and entertainment,” SM said.

 

“Our store operations are manned by regulator employees. All of our employees  are compensated  at or paid above government mandated salaries and benefits,” it added.

 

The company also said that aside from its employees, SM also had vendors inside its stores.

 

“These vendors are required to comply with all labor laws and regulations particularly on the rights, salaries, benefits and security of tenure of their employees,” SM said.

 

Nevertheless, SPARK maintained that SM "pioneered" contractualization in the past three decades.

 

"No amount of public relation stunts can undo the destitution SM has unleashed on the Filipino workers after contractual employment is now the standard practice of employment in the retail industry," it said. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/DVM, GMA News