DOLE suspends labor inspection till mid-January

The season of gifts and gift-giving is again upon us. To avoid "temptations" that may turn this holiday custom into a form of corruption, the Labor Department has suspended labor inspections from Dec. 1 to mid-January. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz issued Administrative Order No. 443, which effectively allows the resumption of inspections on Jan. 17. "I have ordered a suspension of all labor inspection activities, including the conduct of Training and Advisory Visits (TAVs) and Self-Assessment (SA) activities, in all of the country’s 16 regions effective 1 December 2010 until 14 January 2011," Baldoz said after issuing the order, in an article posted late Saturday on the DOLE website. She said the order aims "to uphold the integrity of labor standards enforcement by precluding opportunities and temptations for abuse of the inspection power during the Christmas and New Year holidays." Under the order, the period when labor inspections are suspended will instead be used for the disposition of pending labor standards cases. But Baldoz cited three exemptions from the suspension of inspections:

1. The investigation of labor standards complaints which shall in all cases be speedily disposed of;
2. Technical safety inspections covering mechanical equipment and electrical wiring installation; and
3. Urgent inspections or technical assistance visits that may be called for because of compelling circumstances, in which case, the DOLE Regional Office shall seek the approval of the Secretary of Labor and Employment before any such inspection or TAV activity may be conducted.

Baldoz ordered concerned DOLE Regional Offices to accomplish reports on the activities not covered by the suspension as required under existing rules and regulations.– MRT, GMANews.TV