DOLE asked to deputize union leaders as labor inspectors

A workers' group has called on the Department of Labor and Employment to deputize labor union presidents and officers as labor inspectors in order to strengthen the enforcement of labor standards and safety rules. The Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) labor group made the call in response to preliminary reports hinting that the firm and the contractors involved in the Makati construction tragedy that killed 10 workers last Thursday might have violated safety rules and policies on workers’ benefits.

PM secretary general Judy Ann Miranda said, “From [the original] 240 labor inspectors, the DOLE now has just around 190 to cover some 800,000 establishments nationwide." According to her, the number of inspectors can easily be increased several fold by deputizing union officers as labor inspectors. “Even if just 10 percent of the 17,000 local union presidents are accredited, this is about 10 times the present number of DOLE inspectors." PM insists that by deputizing labor leaders, the number of inspections can be multiplied overnight, and that enforcement of labor rules can be strengthened immediately, “and workers lives and limbs can be saved as a result," she added. The group is also critical of the DOLE’s “Labor Standards Enforcement Framework" (LSEF), which allows establishments with more than 200 workers to undergo voluntary self-assessment. PM said that under the self-assessment program, the number of establishments inspected plummeted from 26,000 when it started in 2004 to just 6,000 last year. “Aside from the responsibility of the principal employer Eton Properties Philippines, Inc., and its subcontractors to the laborers who were killed, the government must also make policy changes regarding enforcement of labor standards and occupational health and safety," she stressed. She noted that the DOLE already allows local government units to undertake technical inspections in order to complement its efforts, and so there is no reason not to mobilize workers groups. "All the DOLE has to do is train union president and officers in labor inspection and enforcement process and then accredit them appropriately," Miranda added. Earlier, DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said her department is looking into reported labor and safety violations of Eton and its contractors, even as she hinted at conducting inspections on other projects of the property firm. [See story: DOLE says sanctions loom due to Makati construction tragedy] On the other hand, the Makati City government has already begun its own probe into the incident, after Makati City police chief Senior Superintendent Froilan Bonifacio cited initial reports reaching him that some safety measures were violated in the Eton Properties Greenbelt condominium construction site. Full cooperation In a press statement issued last Friday, Eton said “it pledged full cooperation to the ongoing investigation by the Makati City government, police and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in relation to Thursday’s tragic accident that killed 10 window installers in its condominium project in Legaspi Village, Makati City." “Eton has already submitted all relevant documents to the investigating bodies, and the company also sent official representatives to all meetings called by the city government and DOLE," said Eton President Danilo Ignacio. He stressed that Eton will wait for the findings of ongoing investigations before issuing an official statement on what course of action it will take. “Right now, our priority is to provide assistance to the victims’ families. Eton executives and representatives of its contractor ARLO Aluminum were at Funeraria Filipinas today [Friday] to facilitate the transfer of the remains to their loved ones. Together with Arlo Aluminum we are fully committed to shoulder the medical, funeral and other financial assistance to the families, including transporting the remains to various areas like Antipolo, Bulacan and even Marinduque," Ignacio said. Although the 10 fatalities are employees of its contractor ARLO Aluminum, Ignacio said Eton is not turning its back on the victims’ families. “Immediately after the unfortunate ‘freak’ accident, we pledged to help the families," he said. — Jerbert Briola/LBG, GMANews.TV