Employers told to give breaks to workers

Workers who toil under the heat of the sun should be given some breaks to avoid  dehydration or sunstroke.

In yesterday’s press conference, Labor Undersecretary Rebecca Chato said they will issue an order within this month requiring employers to give breaks to workers who work outside.

“We are all adjusting to the heat and we are all affected. The secretary (Rosalinda Baldoz) has already given instructions for an issuance,” she told the media at the Sarrosa International Hotel in Cebu City yesterday.

The provisions of the order will still have to be discussed 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 that will protect workers from the heat.

She said the pineapple plantation operators in General Santos City provide umbrellas for their workers.

She said DOLE 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 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 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 Celsius, the state weather bureau Pagasa said.

The hottest temperature recorded in Cebu within a 40-year period was 35 degrees Celsius on April 15, 1992.

Once the DOLE order takes effect, Chato said they will not impose sanctions on employers that refuse to comply.