Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda has asked the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to intervene on behalf of complaining service contractor workers in the transport sector.
Salceda, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, cited allegations that the service contractors were violating labor laws such as short-changing their workers on wages and benefits, as well as laying them off for speaking out their grievances.
“I have asked Secretary Bello to intervene on behalf of the workers.
It appears quite clear to me that there is ground for investigation for possible labor law violations,” Salceda said.
In a letter to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Salceda stated;
“The workers complain that they have not received proper compensation on time, and are not getting proper incentives for their services.”
“They also allege that some of them have been retrenched, possibly in retaliation for complaining,” Salceda also wrote.
Salceda attached to the complaint a manifesto from the workers of ES Consortium and Mega Manila Consortium, stating that they have not been paid for 10 months, and that incentives have not been granted to drivers and conductors.
“As you know, a working service contracting program is critical toensure the success of the government’s efforts to control inflation in the transport sector. The trust and confidence of workers in the program is essential in ensuring that they participate and deliver their services in a satisfactory manner. Your urgent intervention on this matter is crucial,” Salceda told Bello.
Salceda also said that “if the workers’ claims are true, it’s like the companies are trying to kill them with hunger. Ten months!”
Salceda also cited social media posts showing service contracting drivers begging passengers for loose change.
“The situation really looks desperate. And if these workers don’t go to work, we will have a bigger transport problem in our hands. Transport is already the leading cause of inflation. We don’t want the problem to get any worse,” Salceda said.
“We will ask the LTFRB for a better system once the 2023 budget deliberations begin. There’s also a pending public transport subsidy promised by the Duterte administration to soften the impact of fuel price hikes. How can we be confident that it will be implemented well if there is always trouble with paying the workers and the contractors.”
