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Tuesday, September 02, 2003
Oro chamber bats for medical benefits to SME workers
By Lizanilla J. Amarga
THE Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation Inc. (Oro Chamber) batted for the improvement of the health care of workers in small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
This came about as Trade and Industry Sec. Mar Roxas vowed to upgrade the technologies being used by the private sector for better productivity and working environment in order to make local SMEs competitive worldwide.
During the Regional Development Council-Region 10 (RDC) 10 Macro Development Committee last week, Oro Chamber officer Arsenio Sebastian moved for the council to endorse a resolution to the RDC 10 executive committee for the restoration of the health care benefits of workers in SMEs.
He requested that the "annual physical examination to SME establishments with 200 and below be resumed and that after the initial examination, subsequent examinations should be done every two years."
Sebastian's motion opened up a variety of controversial issues including the delay or absence of remittances to the Employees Compensation Commission (ECC) made by government agencies.
Despite this his motion was approved while another motion was made for the RDC-10 Social Development Committee to further deliberate on the "relevance of the ECC" to the public sector.
Meanwhile Roxas said three government institutions forged a partnership to support the development of SMEs in the country through technical and technological intervention.
Pricing
This includes the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Small Business Guarantee Finance Corporation (SBGFC).
All three signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) which seeks to develop and promote SMEs.
The conditions include creating an environment conducive to the acquisition, financing, and use of technology needed to upgrade the quality of SME products, services and work environment for workers.
Roxas said the government is doing its best to help SMEs access appropriate technology.
"We at government, recognize that a way to make SMEs globally competitive is to upgrade their level of technology to world standards. This will improve the quality of their products, services and work environment," he said in a statement e-mailed to Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.
Roxas also added that a technology upgrade will make local SMEs secure a better working environment and increase their levels of productivity.
The secretary said this would make local products competitive in terms of pricing with their international counterparts.
Disadvantaged workers
Sebastian said the Labor Code of the Philippines requires pre-employment medical examination to all prospective employees and periodic medical examination for those exposed to occupational hazard including ergonomic among others.
He said Labor Sec. Patricia Sto. Tomas in her speech during the 8th National Occupational Safety and Health Congress pushed for concrete action on this matter.
This includes the mainstream development "occupational safety and health protection" particularly to "disadvantaged workers in the informal sector."
On the other hand, he said the Employees Compensation Commission (ECC) is mandated by law to initiate policies and programs towards adequate occupational health, safety and accident prevention.
Sebastian said the policies would cover the working environment, rehabilitation and other related programs and activities.
He said the ECC is tasked to appropriate funds for the worker's health, safety and accident benefits.
"But we noticed that practically all workers don't get these benefits," Sebastian who is also vice-chairman of the RDC-10 Non-Government Organization said during the meeting.
Presently, he said there are 300,000 existing and duly registered industrial firms in the country.
Sebastian said a great number of workers are continually exposed to physical, chemical, biological and ergonomic hazards in their work places.
Contingencies
According to Sebastian, not all employers and owners of these industrial firms could provide adequate occupational health services and pre-employment medical examination as mandated by law.
"Majority of these establishments continue to pay the monthly premiums for ECC but are not able to utilize their contributions," he said.
Sebastian said in May 1993 former President Fidel Ramos directed the ECC to immediately establish "industrial clinics" in key industrial areas throughout the country.
He said this would provide basic occupational health services and rehabilitation treatment to work-related contingencies.
"The move of former President Fidel Ramos proved to be effective in providing an annual physical examination to SME establishments with less than 200 employees," he said.
He cited how there was also an Annual Alay sa Manggawa program conducted every May 1, which provided an x-ray, CBC and urinalysis to all workers.
However upon the assumption of the new Board appointed by President Arroyo in 2001, Sebastian said a resolution was passed effectively eliminating the program for annual physical examinations to SMEs with 200 or less employees.
"For the benefit of the workers not just locally but in a nationwide scale we would like this to be reimplemented as they say prevention is better than cure," he said.
(September 2, 2003 issue)
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