THE labor department has assured workers of Hanjin Heavy Industries of necessary assistance on their imminent displacement right after the Korean shipbuilder declared bankruptcy and applied for rehabilitation.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said affected workers will get their separation pay, which is equivalent to one-month salary per year of service.
“The Subic Shipbuilder Corporation (Sushicor), Hanjin’s general contractor in shipbuilding, has given us assurance that their workers will get their separation pay and fulfill their labor obligations under the supervision of the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) Region III,” Bello said.
Aside from ensuring assistance to the affected workers, Dole through its regional office in Central Luzon and Bureau of Local Employment will conduct profiling of workers for the provision of appropriate services and interventions necessary for their possible re-employment as most of the Hanjin workers are highly skilled and in-demand in the country and in abroad.
“We need to profile the workers first to know their specific skills, preference of assistance – whether employment, livelihood or training for other skills to better match them with available job opportunities, including available jobs offered under the Build Build Build program of the President,” Bello said.
The labor chief also said that he will meet with Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Transportation (DOTr), and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the possible re-employment of the Hanjin workers in the various projects of the government.
As of January 15, 2019, there are about 3,800 workers who are still employed under reduced working days to finish two more ships in Hanjin within the first quarter of 2019. These are employed by 17 contractors who will apply for retrenchment once their contracts with Hanjin is completed. (PR)