By Ferdinand Patinio/PNA
MANILA — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Tuesday vowed to assist 3,800 workers of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines (HHIC-Phil) who might be affected after the South Korean shipbuilder declared bankruptcy and applied for rehabilitation.
“We assure the public that DOLE is quick to respond to the needs of the Hanjin workers and that we are one with the other government agencies in the fast recovery or rehabilitation of the company,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a press conference.
Bello noted that affected workers will get their separation pay, which is equivalent to one-month salary per year of service.
“The Subic Shipbuilder Corp. (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 DOLE Region 3 (Central Luzon),” he added.
DOLE-3 and the Bureau of Local Employment is set to conduct profiling of workers for the provision of appropriate services and interventions necessary for their possible re-employment.
Bello said the move seeks to determine the workers’ specific skills and their preferred assistance, whether employment, livelihood or training for other skills to better match them with available job opportunities.
The labor chief noted that he will meet with the departments of trade, transportation, and public works for the possible re-employment of the Hanjin workers in various projects of the government, including the “Build, Build, Build” program of the Duterte administration.
Bello said that most of the Hanjin workers are highly skilled and in-demand in the country and abroad.
“But we prefer that they be employed here in the country first, as we need their skills in welding, steel shipbuilding, construction and plant services for the ‘Build, Build, Build’,” he added.
As of Tuesday, 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.
They are employed by 17 contractors who will apply for retrenchment once their contracts with Hanjin are completed.
