AROUND 700 business establishments in Central Visayas are being investigated by the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) 7 for allegedly violating labor standards last year.
But Dole 7 Director Elias Cayanong said he has not implemented sanctions against erring establishments this year to give them a chance to implement new labor policies, including policies prohibiting contractualization and the recent minimum wage hike increase implemented in Central Visayas.
Cayanong told VoxPop Cebu that as of last week, they have started audit in 400 out of 700 establishments that were cited for labor violations.
The said establishments allegedly committed violations such as refusal to pay holiday benefits for workers, failure to remit salary deductions to government agencies such as Philhealth, Pag-ibig and SSS, among others.
But Cayanong clarified that he recently ordered a review of all investigations on the 700 establishments due to new policies being enacted by the national government.
These include compliance of the said establishments with Department Order 174, which prohibits labor-only contractualization.
Also, OLE 7 is reviewing the compliance with the recently approved Wage Order 2, which implements a P13 minimum wage increase in Central Visayas.
Cayanong said that with the new policies in place, it would be unfair for the region’s establishments to be penalized if they fail to comply on time.
He said they will be giving the establishments at least two months to correct their deficiencies.
Meanwhile, the Dole 7 will hold a solidarity run towards Talisay City during this year’s celebration of Labor Day.
The Talisay City Government has been chosen as this year’s host for the region’s Labor Day celebrations.
