Monday, October 08, 2007 Moves up v. erring tutorial schools By Rimaliza Opiña
MOVES are underway to address the reported breach of labor laws by English tutorial schools.
In a recent press briefing, Baguio Councilor Antonio Tabora Jr. said measures have to be done to protect the interest of Filipinos, whose rights are violated by foreign employers that do business here.
Tabora was the author of the resolution that prompted the City Council to invite the Bureau of Immigration (BI), Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (Tesda) and Commission on Higher Education (Ched) to expound on the reported violation of labor laws by these tutorial centers.
The Dole reported that several cases have been filed and those that were found violating were ordered to comply.
Among the violations found were under payment and non-remittance of government dues.
Meanwhile, Korean schools were told anew to respect the rights of their employees by giving them the just benefits provided for under the law.
Dole Regional Director Ana Dione said even contractual workers are entitled to the privileges received by regular workers like the payment of government contributions.
"The payment of premiums (such as SSS, Pag-ibig and Philhealth) must be strictly complied with," Dione said.
She also warned tutorial schools to follow the minimum hourly rates of teachers as prescribed by the Ched and Dole. The prevailing minimum rate for tutors is P65/hour.
Earlier, the Dole found seven Korean tutorial schools underpaying their teachers and administrative staff aside from violating local labor laws.
The schools were found paying tutors P50 to P55 per hour and P150 for their administrative staff. Cases of violation of labor laws against these schools are now pending before the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC).
Tutorial schools have been mushrooming in the city, following the increasing number of arrivals of Korean nationals here. There are now 55 tutorial schools in Baguio but only 37 are accredited by the Tesda. (With reports from JC)
