Labor group wants union leaders deputized as labor inspectors

MANILA, Philippines –  After the death of 10 workers in a construction site in Makati City, labor group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) yesterday asked the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to deputize union presidents and officers as labor inspectors to strengthen the enforcement of workplace policies.

PM secretary-general Judy Ann Miranda said DOLE only has 190 labor inspectors covering 800,000 establishments nationwide.

Because of this, many employers get away with unfair labor practices like underpayment of wages, non-remittance of Social Service System deductions, and unsafe working conditions.

Miranda said union officials can help the labor department ensure that its labor and safety standards are upheld.       

“Even if just 10 percent of the 17,000 local union presidents are accredited, this is about 10 times the present number of inspectors,” she said.        

PM also expressed concerns over DOLE’s “Labor Standard Enforcement Framework” which allows companies with more than 200 workers to undergo voluntary self-assessment.        

The group said that because of this policy, the number of establishments inspected went down from 26,000 in 2004 to 6,000 last year.

Miranda had compared the situation to “the shepherd that asked the wolf to tend the sheep and as a result the sheep are eaten alive.”

Ten glass panel installers died Thursday when the electric gondola carrying them plunged from the 34th to the 7th floor of Eton Residences in Makati City.

“Aside from the responsibility of the principal employer Eton and its subcontractors to the laborers who were killed, the government must make policy changes regarding enforcement of labor standards and occupational health and safety so that the workers have not died in vain,” Miranda said.