By Zorayda Tecson/PNA
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — A total of 31,007 workers were regularized by 272 establishments in different parts of Central Luzon in 2018, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Regional Office here said.
DOLE Regional Director Zenaida Angara-Campita said on Wednesday that the regional office’s accomplishment surpassed its annual target of 30,000 workers.
“In 2018, the regional labor office doubled its efforts and rose to the department’s challenge to have more workers regularized. With our labor inspectors all locked-in, we have managed to achieve our target for the year and we are grateful for the support and cooperation of the employers of this region for their compliance,” Campita said in a media interview.
Of the total number, some 19,162 were regularized by 174 establishments through voluntary compliance initiatives.
The remaining 11,845 workers, on the other hand, were regularized by 98 firms by order of compliance issued by the regional labor office after inspection visits.
Campita said the regional and field offices continued to adopt various strategies to ensure that the office’s target for the year would be achieved.
She said the regional labor agency has tasked 33 personnel to hold labor inspections to establishments, principals, and contractors to determine their compliance with General Labor Standards (GLS) and Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) standards, and to determine those practicing prohibited working arrangements.
Various industries operating within and outside of the region’s freeport and economic zones were covered under the DOLE’s region-wide labor inspection program.
Firms found to be engaging in labor-only contracting or any similar work arrangements were subjected to mandatory conferences and assisted in complying with GLS and OSH standards.
Campita thanked complying establishments for their support and urged more firms to follow suit in regularizing their workers.
“Again, we would like to thank our partners from the private sector in heeding our call to regularize their workers. Security of tenure is always a concern for workers and their families. Being permanent in their jobs will enable them to be more productive, thus, will be good for business,” she said.
She likewise expressed hope that more establishments would realize the benefits of regularizing their workers which are deemed necessary and desirable in their day to day operations.
