Labor groups hit thoughtless employers

MANILA, Philippines — Labor groups on Tuesday expressed alarm over reports that some employers exposed their workers to danger when they maintained a “business as usual attitude” after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit Pampanga, Metro Manila and neighboring provinces on Monday afternoon.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said it received several complaints from employees that their managers did not let them evacuate or “kept them from going home and ordered them to return to work.”

Form of abuse

“This company practice or policy is a form of abuse and it must be condemned because it imperils the lives of employees and jeopardizes the safety and health of workers,” TUCP president Raymond Mendoza said.

On social media, a number of netizens recounted how workers of a major mall chain were not allowed to leave their posts to prevent incidents of shoplifting.

Similarly, the BPO Industry Employees Network claimed that some call centers, which it did not name, did not evacuate their workers.

Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino chair Leody de Guzman called for an investigation of these businesses which, according to him, prioritized profits above the safety of their workers.

He also urged the government to review the occupational safety protocols of these establishments.