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Friday, December 19, 2008
Dole finds party's job loss report bloated
CEBU -- A RECENT report by a party-list group that at least 3,000 workers in Mactan Economic Zone (MEZ) and 600 workers in Mandaue City have lost their jobs since October is exaggerated, a labor official said Thursday.
Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) Central Visayas Director Elias Cayanong described the numbers reported by the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) party-list organization as exaggerated.
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Cayanong, however, did not say how many MEZ workers have been laid off as a result of the unfolding global economic crisis.
PM reported that at least 3,000 workers in MEZ and 600 in Mandaue City have lost their jobs since October. It also reported that more than 27,000 workers in both cities were asked to work fewer hours or go on leave in the last quarter of this year.
MEZ companies, meanwhile, assured Dole that they consider retrenchment of workers as a last option in dealing with the crisis.
Among the measures they are considering in lieu of retrenchment are cutting overtime and holiday work or reducing the workweek to five days, said Cayanong.
Cayanong met with officers of MEZ and the Personnel Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP). Many of the officers come from companies affected by the global financial crisis.
"The MEZ and HRD (Human Resource Development) administrators are going back to the drawing board because retrenchment is their last resort. Instead of immediately submitting a retrenchment paper, they are trying to (consider other strategies)," Cayanong said.
Cayanong said PMAP leaders told him they will cut overtime and holiday work or consider imposing a five-day workweek.
"If their business will not improve by the second or third quarter of next year, probably they will go on a temporary layoff. The law allows a temporary layoff or temporary shutdown so there's assurance that these people can return to work," Cayanong said.
Cayanong denied reports that there are four companies who applied for an authority to retrench workers. He said that based on records, only Lear Corp. requested a permit to retrench workers but refused to comment further because of a pending case at the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC).
Cayanong also said Dole is pro-active in dealing with issues faced by workers.
"As of now, we have P22.5 million just for capability-building so we can bring retrenched employees to industries that are still blooming," Cayanong said. He said the outsourcing industry is still growing and can lessen the local impact of the global crisis.
The P22.5 million-fund will be spent for things like training, grants to alleviate workers' plight or help them start new businesses.
"We already have 87 projects with an average of 30 people per project and it's growing. We are preparing these people substantially so that if the crisis will continue, we will be able to accommodate thousands of workers in other fields," Cayanong said.
He said Dole also has the "Workers Income Augmentation Program," which can help workers financially or in the marketing of products that they might develop.
He said the agency also has the "Tabo sa Mamumuo," where workers get access to cheaper products. (EOB)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. (December 19, 2008 issue)
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