Labor group calls for post-flood checks of affected workplaces

The Federation of Free Workers (FFW) has urged the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to conduct massive post-flood inspections to ensure occupational safety, health, and labor standards compliance in workplaces affected by Typhoon Uwan.

“When floods destroy homes and shut down a number of factories factories, inspection becomes a matter of life and dignity. Workers need protection, not just relief. ILO Convention 81 and Article 128 give DOLE both the power and the duty to act motu proprio. Relief goods help families; inspections save lives—give both,” said FFW president Atty. Sonny Matula.

The appeal came as International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 81 on Labour Inspection becomes officially effective in the Philippines this month after it was ratified and concurred by the Senate in 2024.

The FFW stressed that floods and contamination from recent storms have heightened the risks of electrocution, exposure to hazardous materials, and disease in factories, plants, and warehouses.

It urged the DOLE’s regional offices to proactively inspect worksites for occupational safety and health compliance and proper wage payments during temporary shutdowns and rebuilding.

It added that inspection is not a burden to employers or only about enforcement, but is an opportunity to provide technical assistance to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) for compliance.

The FFW said post-Uwan inspections should include practical guidance, on-site OSH mentoring, simple checklists, staggered compliance timelines for feasible fixes, and referrals to the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) or the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) for training and wage-and-benefit clarification.

"Help them comply, then hold them to it—that’s how we keep small businesses afloat and workers safe. Inspection is not intimidation—it’s illumination. It shines a light on unsafe wiring, toxic waste, unpaid wages—everything that disasters tend to hide,” Matula said.

He added: “Never again. Inspection must be preventive, not posthumous.” — JMA, GMA Integrated News