MANILA, Philippines—A labor group Sunday called on big companies to draw up “contingent business continuity plans” ahead of what the Department of Health has called the “second wave” of the Influenza A(H1N1) pandemic.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) warned that the country could see the number of workers being required to stay at home suddenly rise to levels that could further threaten the “already frail” national economy.

“This early, we are encouraging firms to find ways to ensure the least possible workplace disruption, before the feared second surge overwhelms us. Workers have to be assured of the least possible stoppage in their jobs and income,” TUCP secretary general Ernesto Herrera said in a statement.

“Our concern here is to protect not just the occupational health and safety of our workers, but also to secure their gainful employment and livelihood,” the former senator said.

The DOH earlier said that it was preparing for a “second wave” of A(H1N1) cases in the country that could involve a more potent strain of the virus similar to the one that has claimed lives abroad. Experts from the agency had said it was possible that the “mild” strain of the H1N1 virus that has spread around the country could evolve and become more virulent.

The TUCP earlier urged the Department of Labor and Employment to compel firms employing more than 500 workers to submit “preparedness plans” in dealing with the spread of H1N1.

DOLE must ensure that business establishments, particularly labor-intensive ones, are taking adequate measures to monitor, prevent and control the potential proliferation of the disease among their workforce, warning that the lingering virus, if left unchecked, could soon invade the country’s factories and impair labor productivity.