Not a fair deal

Malls have been sprouting all over the country which looks good from the outside perspective, but they are not giving us a fair deal for some reasons like the following:

They charge fees in spite of the fact that we are patronizing them. In most countries like the US, malls don’t charge parking fees for their customers.

They indirectly practice unfair labor. Under our labor law, an employee can be employed only as contractual up to six months but they get away from this by hiring contractual employees only on a five-month period from the employment agencies. This would prevent them from paying medical benefits, social security, sick leave and other basic benefits given to regular employees. The poor salesgirls and baggers have to look for another job after the five-month period, hopping from one mall to another, having no basic benefits and no security of tenure.

I have also learned that some of them charge their clients (who lease their spaces) not only monthly rental but a percentage of their gross sales, a practice which smacks of greed.

Congress should look after these unfair labor and trade practices instead of dwelling on petty issues that they have been busy debating because these affect majority of the public.