MABALACAT CITY -- A top official of the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) in Central Luzon has vowed to enforce laws on labor standards and relations.
During a media forum, dubbed "News at Hues" sponsored by Park Inn by Radisson Hotel and Pampanga Press Club (PPC), Dole-Central Luzon Director Ana Dione said this is included in the agency’s two programs.
“Ang programs po ng Dole nahahati po sa dalawa. Yung una enforcement program na kino-cover yung enforcement ng labor standards at labor relations (The Dole programs are in two parts. One is labor standards and labor relations enforcement),” Dione said.
The second one is the developmental program, which covers livelihood and employment facilitation and emergency, added Dione.
She said the agency also assists in the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Reintegration Program of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa).
The program, she said, is intended to support enterprise development among OFWs and their families.
“Tumutulong kami sa mga OFW returnees na reintegrate sila. Hindi lang kami yon, pati ang Owwa, pero may konti kaming ambag doon so sinasama ko na rin sa developmental program ng Dole (We help in the reintegration of OFW returnees and we have included this in Dole's developmental program),” Dione said.
President Rodrigo Duterte, through Dole Secretary Silvestre Bello III, directed the regional directors to protect the workers’ constitutional and statutory right to security of tenure.
“Ang mainit ngayon syempre ay yung order sa amin of course yung enforcement sa labor standards ay yung security of tenure. Ang utos ng President, through the secretary, ay i-enforce at tignan yung security of tenure ng mga empleyado. Yung endo endo nakapaloob doon [sa order] (Our focus now is enforcement of labor standards and security of tenure and endo is covered by that),” Dione said.
The labor standard program, on the other hand, covers unionism, according to Dione.
“Lahat ng batas na kumo-cover sa unionism yun yong ie-enforce under labor relations program. Kapag labor inspection, ang Dole kasi hindi lang kami. Mayroon kaming tinatawag na network, so advocacy at the same time tumutulong din silang mag-enforce (All laws covering unionism are under the labor relations program. It is not just Dole, but we have an advocacy network that helps),” Dione said.
“Ang utos sa amin ngayong 2018 ay tignan yung compliance. So dalawa po yan, compliance sa minimum requirement of law at security of tenure. Pinapalakas din namin ang safety practitioners (For 2018, we have been ordered to look into compliance on minimum requirement of law and security of tenure. We are also strengthening safety practitioners),” she added.