Associated Labor Unions

15 March 2021

Labor groups laud DOLE rule against no vax, no work policy

He acknowledged that employees and DOLE are normally at odds over some policies but this time, he has to convey the praise whenever itâ€™s due. On Friday, DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III issued Advisory 03-2021, or the Guidelines on the Administration of Covid-19 Vaccines in Workplaces. Vaccination should not be made mandatory and those who refuse to be vaccinated should not be discriminated against, the advisory stated. DOLE said workers cannot be terminated, refused promotion, or prohibited from entering the workplace just because they do not want to be inoculated.

12 March 2021

DOLE orders no discrimination, no termination of workers who refuse vaccine

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has formalized its stance against any possible imposition by employers of a no vaccine, no work policy.In its Labor Advisory No. 03, series of 2021, signed by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on March 12, the DOLE said that â€śany employee who refuses or fails to be vaccinated shall not be discriminated against in terms of tenure, promotion, training, pay, and other benefits, among others, or terminated from employment. No vaccine, no work policy shall not be allowed, the Labor Advisory read. Establishments and employers, however, shall endeavor to encourage their employees to get vaccinated.

10 March 2021

Unemployment up in January

The number of unemployed Filipinos went up by 200,000 in January, a survey made by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed. In a briefing, National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa said that based on the results of the latest Labor Force Survey (LFS), four million joined the ranks of the unemployed, compared to 2.4 million in the same period last year. There were 3.8 million jobless individuals in the survey conducted in October 2020. The latest number of out-of-work individuals translates to an unemployment rate of 8.7 percent, the same figure reported in October 2020. The unemployment rate in January 2020 was 5.3 percent.

10 March 2021

Labor Unions Appeal For COVID 19 And Economic Recovery With Gender Equality

In commemoration of the International Womens Day on March 8 in the midst of COVID 19 pandemic, massive vaccination roll-out, and maintenance of health and safety protocols, the Associated Labor Unions (ALU), and global union Building and Wood Workers International (BWI) called out, COVID 19 and economic recovery should come with gender equality! Women from different sectors have greatly contributed to the economy prior to and during pandemic to continue providing essential public goods and services despite the health risks and constraints. Women largely comprise the frontliners fighting the pandemic, addressing the safety and health needs of the people. However, ALU National Executive Vice President Gerard Seno sadly recognizes that the pandemic claimed many lives, sown grief among families, closed businesses, induced job losses, reduced incomes, and increased incidence of gender-based violence.

10 March 2021

Workers rejecting jabs cant be terminated

Apparently, three government agencies are not in favor of the proposals as an emerging policy issue of some businesses to require workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 before they are allowed to physically return to work. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) along with the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have issued statements separately, stating among others, they are against on the â€no vaccine, no workâ€™ policy espoused earlier by the business sector through a compulsory participation of company-sponsored COVID-19 immunization program. There is no legal basis for an employer to require workers to be vaccinated before they enter the workplace, said DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III in a virtual presser.