76% of Davao establishments 'comply with labor laws'

SEVENTY-SIX percent of 2,000 establishments in the entire Davao Region comply with basic labor laws, an official of the regional Labor department said.

Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) Regional Director Jofrrey M. Suyao said 1,520 establishments are complying based on the annual reports collated in January 2011.

He added this is higher than last year's figure, although he did not elaborate.

Suyao said 90 percent of the industries operating in Davao Region are in service sector, and most of which are small-scale businesses.

He said based on reports that they have gathered during Technical Advisory Visit (TAV), the failure to implement the new wage order tops the list of the labor laws that are violated.

They found out that violation of basic labor laws can be attributed to lack of information on the new wage orders on the part of employers.

He, however, said this should not be an excuse for these companies from observing what has been set forth by the law.

He added that starting April 4 until November this year, a team from their office will be roaming around different establishments in the region to monitor compliance especially now that the new minimum wage took effect September 2010.