Kamanggagawa Party-list Representative Eli San Fernando has called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to take stronger action against abusive employers following a surge of grievances reported during a legal caravan in Antipolo City.
The outreach event, held last Friday, October 30, gathered 428 labor complaints from local workers. The issues raised included unremitted contributions to the Social Security System (SSS), PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG, wages falling below the legal minimum, unpaid overtime and 13th-month pay, and alleged illegal dismissals.
San Fernando pointed out that the high volume of complaints in just a single city highlights gaps in DOLE’s routine enforcement and its proactive monitoring of labor standards.
“Kapag umabot sa 428 ang sumbong sa isang lungsod pa lang, malinaw na tulog ang DOLE sa kanilang tungkuling mag-inspeksyon at protektahan ang mga manggagawa,” San Fernando said.
“Tahasang ninanakawan ng sahod at benepisyo ang ating mga kababayan. At kailangan nating panagutin ang mga abusadong kumpanyang ito,” he added.
Among the complainants were public utility bus drivers and conductors who reported receiving less than the daily minimum wage and facing reduced work hours. They explained that their compensation relied on commission-based schemes, which factored in fuel deductions before their pay was computed.
Other workers also voiced frustration over employers failing to apply mandated wage adjustments despite soaring inflation and living costs.
In response to the grievances, San Fernando urged DOLE to launch unannounced workplace inspections and strengthen its oversight to ensure companies comply with current wage orders and mandatory benefit contributions.