Employers, DOLE reminded: Workers must freely consent to temporary wage, benefits adjustment
MANILA, Philippines — A senator reminded the Department of Labor and Employment to protect the rights of workers and ensure that wage adjustment schemes must be done with the full consent and awareness of employees
In a statement issued Wednesday morning, Sen. Joel Villanueva, who chairs the Senate labor committee, said that DOLE "keep a close watch" amid reports of companies and employers scaling down company benefits due to the economic fallout caused by the novel coronavirus outbreak.
This comes over a week after the Department of Labor and Employment said that employers can negotiate with their workers' to "voluntarily" slash wages and related benefits for up to six months in Labor Advisory No. 17 dated May 18.
"DOLE must ensure that any reduction in wages that would be implemented by employers should be according to the guidelines it issued earlier this month," Villanueva said.
"More importantly, both employers and workers must agree to the terms together, and the latter should not be forced or coerced to decide," he added.
According to the labor advisory, any changes and arrangements agreed upon are to be reported to DOLE for documentation and proper monitoring.
In an earlier webinar, labor group Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino slammed the advisory, saying that it was insensitive for it to have been issued in the middle of a pandemic and that it was being framed as "instead of closing down or laying off workers, it must be better to lower wages."
READ: BMP: Workers without unions at most risk from 'voluntary' wage, benefit cuts amid pandemic
BMP chairperson Leody de Guzman, who was formerly a candidate for senator in the 2019 elections, slammed the department, saying: "The department of labor isn't for labor. Everything they did, including allowing the suspension of holiday pay on May 1, has been for managements and not workers."
De Guzman also said that with the advisory, DOLE was effectively encouraging the negotiation for lower salaries and for the suspension of benefits already in Collective Bargaining Agreements.
The Nagkaisa Labor Coalition, in a statement on May 19, also called for a recall of the labor advisory, pointing out that it could be used to threaten workers with dismissal.
"At this critical time, we appeal to both employers and workers to look out for each other. The only way we could overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic is to align the interests of each other. Workers' welfare and dignity would always translate to the success of enterprises," Villanueva said.
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