DOLE's Bello: Ending work-from-home setup up to employers

The Department of Labor and Employment is leaving it up to businesses whether or not to end the work-from-home arrangement of their employees amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III made the remark after the government eased the quarantine classification of Metro Manila to Alert Level 2.

“Yung employer sasabihin kailangan ko na mag-report na kayo dahil maluwag naman mga health protocols. Palagay ko naman magkakaintindihan mga empleyado,” Bello said on Jun Veneracion's report on "24 Oras."

Sergio Ortiz-Luis of the Employers’ Federation of the Philippines said that employers might not consent to the resumption of office work due to transportation and space issues.

“Marami riyan hindi pa rin papasukin ‘yung mga tao dahil ang may kulang hindi sila. Ang may pagkukulang ay itong nasa transportasyon,” Ortiz-Luis said.

“Lalo sa opisina na pinaglayu-layo mo yung ano, 50% lang, edi ganun work-from-home ‘yung iba. Papasukin mo ngayon, Paano ‘yun? Maglalaki ng opisina?” he added. -Jiselle Causucian/NB, GMA News