Concerns about labor standards compliance top DOLE helpline calls

Compliance with general labor standards has been the top concern raised by Filipino workers to the government hotline over the past 15 months, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Of the more than 127,000 calls that DOLE's Hotline 1349 has received from 2023 until the first quarter of the year, 108,332 were queries on labor standards.

"Among the inquiries raised by callers were on the release of final pay; computation of holiday pay; separation, suspension, and termination; and non-remittance of employees’ contributions to government-mandated benefits, such as SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG," DOLE said in a statement.

The Labor Department added that its hotline also receives calls about local employment opportunities and job hiring processes.

Based on the figures by DOLE from last year until the first three months of 2024, Hotline 1349 has received 10,726 calls on social protection and welfare, 7,271 calls on employment facilitation, and 1,607 calls on labor relations.

Launched in 2016, Hotline 1349 is a free 24/7 call center that seeks to provide assistance on labor and employment-related concerns. —VBL, GMA Integrated News