DoLE AO 183 just another media blitz

“The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Administrative Order 183 (AO183) is merely a media blitz launched not to address labor issues but to earn media mileage. Inspection is good but we need heads to roll.”

This was the reaction of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Labor Center on the DoLE AO 183 or the Project LSEF-Inspection Blitz. According to AO 183, each DoLE Labor Inspectors will inspect a minimum of 12 firms a week, with the scope of inspection covering the following issues: minimum wage, Emergency Cost of Living Allowance (ECOLA), 13^th month pay, Holiday pay, Service Incentive leave, Social Security System, Pag-ibig and Phil Health contributions and Contractualization. Companies who employ 10-199 workers from security and manpower services, malls, restaurants and fast foods enterprises, cooperatives, construction sites, manufacturing establishments and highly-hazardous establishments will be the priority areas for the said inspections.

 

“Workplace inspection is good but without proper action prosecuting labor standards violators, then it is just another press release. We are challenging the DoLE to make their report public and enable the nation to see the names of those companies who are part of the blacklist. They can start by releasing the names of the 245 commercial establishments in the National Capital Region (NCR) who did not pay their workers the minimum wage and the 300 firms who did not provide holiday pay or ECOLA which were part of the 7-page report by DoLE-NCR acting director Raymundo Agravante,” said Elmer “Ka Bong” Labog, National Chairperson of the KMU.

 

According to Labog, the recent meeting of the National Council of the KMU has asked the local federations and unions to make a list of companies who are violating labor standards. “By making our list and the DoLE list public, more people can verify the status of labor cases, making the whole process democratic and transparent. This will prevent violating companies from hiding behind their big shot lawyers.”

 

The labor leader stressed the need to come up with stiffer penalties for violators. “It is high time for Congress to draft new laws placing stiffer penalties against firms who violate labor standards. Workers have encountered so many cases of non-remittance of our SSS contributions. Non-remittance should be considered as large-scale estafa, stealing hard-earned money by workers. After retirement, many workers suffer from low or even no benefits because their employers failed to make the necessary contributions.”

 

“We will work closely with the Rep. Crispin Beltran of Anakpawis and the Congressional Committee on Labor and Employment headed by Rep. Magtanggol Guinigundo III of Valenzuela to pass new legislation favorable to workers and their families,” ended Labog.