MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has criticized a report which cited the Philippines as one of the worst countries in the world for workers.
In a statement released Friday, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the country was “unjustly vilified” in the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Global Rights Index 2019 placing the Philippines “as among the top 10 worst countries in the world for working people.”
The labor chief added that Filipino workers enjoy greater protection under the Duterte administration.
“It is unfortunate that ITUC failed to see the consistent efforts of the government in protecting the welfare of the Filipino workers. To say that the country has drastically regressed in protecting the worker’s rights is a drastically one-sided finding,” Bello said.
He also stressed that the cases of “violence and murder, brutal repression of public protests, and repressive laws” among workers are all allegations as the cited accusations are not officially reported as labor-related incidents.
He further emphasized the genuine efforts of the government in advancing the rights and welfare of workers, including the intensified enforcement of labor laws and standard, particularly in ensuring every worker’s right to safe and humane working conditions, and to the security of tenure.
The labor chief also noted the enacted landmark laws that championed the workers’ greater interest, including the Occupational Safety and Health Law, and the Expanded Maternity Leave Law, among others.
Bello also reported that as of now, DOLE is in the process of hiring 500 additional Labor Laws Compliance Officers to complement the assessment of over 900,000 establishments across the country to ensure compliance to the general labor laws and standards.
“DOLE is not sleeping on its job and responsibility to protect the workers, in the same way that we are mandated to encourage businesses to investing more,” he said.
“We remain committed in providing essence to our mandate despite these unwarranted accusations that undermine the genuine efforts of the administration,” he added.
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