28 WV establishments pay workers’ benefits
Twenty-eight establishments in Western Visayas found violating the core labor standards voluntarily paid their workers’ unpaid benefits and backwages to avoid litigation, according to the Department of Labor and Employment 6.
Mostly engaged in retail service, these establishments were found not compliant to the core labor standards such as minimum wage, ECOLA, 13th month pay, holiday, pay, service incentive leave, overtime pay and night-shift differential by the inspection team of DOLE under its Project LEAP or Labor Enforcement and Action Program.
DOLE 6 Director Manuel Roldan said in a press report that some 172 workers received their backwages and unpaid benefits worth more than P335 thousand as a result of the inspection.
The payment to affected workers was done at their workplaces under the supervision of the DOLE personnel.
A total of 1,233 establishments in Western Visayas were already inspected as of Sept. 30, 2010. These include the 824 inspectionable establishments or those employing 10 to 199 workers while the rest were subject to technical assistance visit and self-assessment.
Under the labor standards enforcement framework (LSEF), only establishments employing 10 to 199 workers are subject to inspection while those employing one to nine workers are subject to TAV and 200 and above are subject to self-assessment.
However, these establishments would still be covered by inspection when their workers file a complaint to DOLE.*
