by Ferdinand Patinio/PNA
MANILA — More than 200 volunteer labor inspectors have been authorized by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to inspect establishments in regions with large concentration of industries.
In an administrative order, which took effect on March 27 and released to media Friday, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III deputized a total of 237 inspectors from labor, management, and professional organization sectors.
The new inspectors will help augment DOLE’s inspection teams in the strict enforcement of labor laws in various establishments in the National Capital Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, Socsksargen, and Caraga.
Among their tasks is to interview workers in the presence of DOLE compliance officers and employers’ representatives, review employment records and attend mandatory conferences of the assessed establishments.
They are supervised by Labor Law Compliance Officers (LLCOs) and function on a voluntary basis, thus will not be paid for their services.
The order will be valid until December 31.
The deployment of volunteer inspectors is one of the strategies implemented by the DOLE to assess compliance of some 900,000 establishments with general labor standards and occupational safety and health.
Deputized inspectors are from qualified members of legitimate labor organizations, labor associations, chartered locals, national union or federation, accredited integrated professional organization/accredited professional organization, non-government organization, and employer’s organization.
Inspectors have undergone comprehensive training on general labor standards and occupational safety and health, and earned certification from the Department.
Bello also directed regional directors to issue the corresponding authority to assess or inspect target establishments and workplaces.
The DOLE regional offices will also submit a quarterly report of inspection activities to the Bureau of Working Conditions that were participated in by deputized volunteer inspectors.
