Lawmakers urge Senate to prioritize safer workplace bill

Sen. Joel Villanueva. Photo from Sen. Villanueva’s office

Lawmakers called on the Senate leadership to immediately prioritize the safer workplace bill, which is still up for second reading, following the recent fire incident at a mall in Davao City that left 38 persons dead.

Senator Joel Villanueva urged the Senate to pass a stricter law that would penalize erring employers committing violations on safety standards in the workplace.

During the fire last Dec. 23 at the NCCC mall, some survivors lamented that some fire exits in the building were impassable. The entire fourth floor of the building was being rented by Research Now SSI, a Texas-based call center company. All casualties were Research Now SSI employees.

READ: NCCC mall fire: Bodies of 36 call center agents found

“These testimonies substantiate the lack of compliance of some companies on our occupational safety and health standards. We already need a stricter law that would penalize erring employers and impose more stringent regulations on OSH standards,” Villanueva said in a statement on Thursday.

Villanueva authored Senate Bill No. 1317 or “An Act Strengthening Compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHS) and Providing Penalties for Violations Thereof” which seeks to amend the 41-year-old Labor Code of the Philippines which, at present, does not declare unlawful violations of OSHS.

At the House of Representatives, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas expressed disappointment on the Senate’s inaction on the said bill.

“It’s disappointing that the Senate continues to sit on the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) bill, which was approved and transmitted by the House in December 2016, even if it’s been certified as one of the priority bills,” Brosas said.

The militant women’s partylist will also file a resolution seeking probe into the tragedy and into the accountability of PEZA, labor department, and even of the Davao City government.

Under the proposed measure, an administrative penalty of P100,000.00 will be imposed against the erring employer for every day of non-correction of violation while an amount ranging from P250,000.00 to P500,000.00 will be imposed if a worker dies.

“By neglecting to comply with occupational safety and health standards, we run the risk of losing so many precious lives as proven by the recent fire tragedy in Davao. We hope that another similar incident in the future would soon be prevented by enacting a stricter law that ensures the safety and well-being of our workers, and promotes their right to safe workplaces,” Villanueva said. /jpv