Private firms not obliged to provide shuttle services to employees, but…

MANILA, Philippines — Companies are not obliged to provide shuttle services for employees during quarantine, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday.

“Hindi rin natin ma-obliga ang employer to provide shuttle service, kaya ang problema kung hindi siya magprovide ng shuttle service walang makakapasok,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in an interview with ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo.

(We cannot oblige employers to provide shuttle services, so the problem is if they will not provide it, no one of their staff will be able to go to work.)

Transportation services are either banned or limited depending on the quarantine measure set up by the government in an area to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Bello said that employees who will avail of shuttle services that companies will provide should not be charged for transportation fee.

Meanwhile, the labor secretary also reiterated that COVID-19 testing for returning employees is not mandatory, but added that if employers will require testing for their staff, then they should be the ones to shoulder its cost.

He said the cost for testing should not be charged or deducted from the salary of employees.

Bello also told employers to ensure the safety of workers in establishments that were allowed to reopen, adding that hand sanitizers and face masks should be made available for their staff.

Malacañang earlier advised employers and business owners not to resume operations if they cannot provide shuttle services for their employees.

EDV