Only over 1% of workplaces inspected for labor law compliance in 2020 —DOLE data

A lawmaker on Thursday called out the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for inspecting only 1.62% of companies and establishments in 2020 for their compliance to labor laws.

Citing the data from the DOLE, Gabriela Representative Arlene Brosas said only 14,659 establishments had been checked by labor inspectors.

“Ang lumalabas sa report na ito, 1.62 percent lamang ito ng lugar pagawaan sa bansa (This report showed that it was only 1.62 percent of workplaces in the country),” she said during the House budget hearing on the P44,364,681,000 proposed budget of the DOLE for 2022.

DOLE Undersecretary Benjo Benavidez attributed the low coverage of inspections due to mobility restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Kaakibat po nito yung limitasyon sa mobility. Hindi lamang po ng manggagawa pero yung mga kasama po natin sa kagawaran kaya po nabawasan,” he said.

(It comes with the limitation in mobility. Not only of the workers but also of our colleagues in the department that is why there were not as many inspections.)

Due to this, Brosas suggested additional funding for the DOLE so they can hire more labor inspectors to expand the inspection in workplaces.

Brosas pointed out the importance of these inspections to ensure that no workers are being abused.

Earlier, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said more than 631,000 contractual workers have been regularized after the DOLE inspected a number of companies.

Bello said the hiring of 710 additional labor inspectors resulted in the regularization of more workers.

“Mahigit 379,000 na kumpanya sa buong bansa ang na-inspect ng DOLE na nag-resulta sa regularization ng mahigit 631,000 workers (Over 379,000 companies nationwide have been inspected by the DOLE that resulted in the regularization of more than 631,000 workers),” he said. -MDM, GMA News