Employers told: Give breaks to field personnel

EMPLOYERS who field personnel should give noon breaks to prevent them from sustaining heat stroke, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said.

Labor Undersecretary Rebecca Chato said they expect to issue an order on this  within the month.

“We are all adjusting to the heat and we are all affected. The secretary (Rosalinda Baldoz) has already given instructions for an issuance,” she said in a press conference at the Sarrosa International Hotel in Cebu City on Tuesday.

The provisions of the order will still have to be taken up by the Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (TIPC) of the Bureau of Labor Relations (BLR).

“Workers and employers will have to determine the number of allowed breaks in one day and how long these will last,” Chato said.

Chato said they will also consider other measures to address the situation such as giving umbrellas to workers which is what pineapple plantation operators in General Santos City are doing.

In the meantime, the agency will release a labor advisory “as soon as possible” reminding employers to consider giving breaks to their workers especially during hours of the day when the heat is at its peak.

Among those at risk from heat-related diseases in the midst of the El Niño phenomenon are farmers, construction workers, and traffic enforcers. Temperatures are usually at their hottest from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The temperature in Cebu rose to 34.2 degrees Celsius at 1:19 p.m. yesterday, exceeding the maximum temperature for April which is only 32.1 degrees, according to an advisory of the state weather bureau Pagasa.

The highest maximum temperature recorded in Cebu within a 40-year period was 35 degrees Celsius on April 15, 1992. Once the DOLE order will take effect, Chato said they will not impose sanctions on employers that refuse to comply.

She said based on experience, industry players usually object to labor orders with many “requirements.” Chato said the agency will be employing a developmental approach instead, urging industries to voluntarily comply.

“It will be more costly for them if their workers get sick. Violations are also more costly than compliance,” she said