MANILA, Philippines – To shield its inspectors from the temptation of gifts from business establishments in exchange for favors, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has suspended labor inspections during the Christmas season.

Labor Undersecretary Joel Maglungsod announced on Tuesday, November 21, that DOLE will suspend the inspection of business establishments from December 8 to January 7, 2018.

“Our labor inspectors may not have the intention (to receive gifts) but for delicadeza (sense of propriety), let’s not expose them to temptation,” said Maglungsod in Filipino.  

Labor law compliance officers are tasked to check employers for possible violations of labor rights and regulations, including occupational health standards, non-payment of salaries, and the biggest task at hand – contractualization. 

“The DOLE officials simply decided to [suspend] it to prevent suspicions….if there are inspections that will be conducted, call us because those are not authorized,” said Maglungsod, addressing business owners.

If an employee files a complaint during the period, DOLE would be obliged to check it. 

Inspections on the basis of occupational health would not be covered by the suspension, since the production of firecrackers for the holidays is expected. 

It’s a Filipino tradition to welcome New Year’s Eve with fireworks but this practice is expected to be done on a smaller scale this year after President Rodrigo Duterte signed an executive order banning household use of firecrackers, and limiting such activities to community fireworks displays. 

Maglungsod also said that DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III can still order an examination of an establishment even within the prescribed period.  

DOLE’s figures show that there are 936,554 businesses across the country. – Rappler.com