By Gillian M. Cortez
THE Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), has sworn in 35 new labor laws compliance officers (LLCOs) to strengthen the agency’s monitoring of establishments’ compliance with labor rules.
DoLE currently has 574 LLCOs deployed nationwide. The labor agency aims to deploy 2,000 inspectors to assess some 900,000 establishments in the Philippines.
The 35 new inspectors consist of 12 licensed engineers, three board engineers, 10 nurses, three law graduates, and the rest from such fields as education, criminology, commerce, and business.
DoLE describes the job of an LLCO as those “tasked to visit, assess, and inspect businesses in the country to ensure compliance with general labor standards and occupational safety and health standards.”
“Your addition to the roster of LLCOs is expected to boost and spell greater success to our all-out campaign to provide the Filipino workers job security, protected rights, enhanced welfare and a safer and healthy working environment,” Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said.
Mr. Bello cited the need to have more LLCOs to check on illegal labor practices.
DoLE released last month an initial list of 20 companies engaged or suspected to be engaged in labor-only contracting.
Also last month, a bicameral panel of Congress passed a bill on occupational safety and health standards for workers.
“(It’s) physically impossible with 574 inspectors, mag-iinspect ka ng (to inspect) 900,000 (companies),” Mr. Bello said in a press conference on May 28. Although DoLE plans to deploy 2,000 inspectors in due time, the Labor chief said, “Kulang pa ’yan (That’s not enough).”
