DOLE to review Labor Code, ‘confusing’ issuances — Laguesma

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is looking to review the Labor Code and the agency’s previous issuances to simplify rules for both workers and employers.

In an interview on ANC on Friday, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said the direction of the DOLE is to “alleviate situation ng mga mangagawa (workers) and be able to help employer sector.”

Among the steps the Labor Department will be undertaking is to review the nearly five-decade old Labor Code.

“Unang tingin namin siguro, we’ll have to revisit provisions of Labor Code…kasi 1974, vintage na ‘yan,” Laguesma said.

(The first we’re looking at is we’ll have to revisit the provision of Labor Code… because that was enacted in 1974, it’s vintage already.)

The Labor chief said there are “piecemeal amendments” in the Labor Code which do not correspond with other provisions.

He said conflicting provisions such as between wages and labor relations can be “a source of friction between labor and management.”

He added that the DOLE is also “reviewing issuances na medyo nagkakasalabat-salabat (conflict with one another).”

“Nagreresult ng confusion (These result in confusion). We want to simplify this for the benefit of our ordinary workers,” he said.

The Labor chief said the DOLE is also in the process of crafting a labor and employment plan for the entire six-year term of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“There will be deliverables also but we have not fixed this because the labor and employment plan will have to be subjected to consultations, dialogues with the affected sectors —labor and employer and other stakeholders who might be affected or interested to put in their input as we finalize the labor and employment plan,” Laguesma said, adding that he will also engage with the International Labor Organization in crafting the plan. — RSJ, GMA News