AN elderly driver in Iloilo City. (Tara Yap)
ILOILO CITY — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is checking labor compliance and safety standards in Western Visayas following the fuel crisis caused by the ongoing Middle East conflict.
DOLE, its attached agency Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC), and other partner government agencies conducted high-impact, high-visibility inspections on transport cooperatives starting in Iloilo City, the regional capital.
DOLE-6 Regional Director Sixto Rodriguez Jr. explained the March 24 to 25 inspections checked the compliance on general labor standards while protecting drivers and conductors from exploitation and fatigue.
Among those checked were compliance on minimum wage, overtime pay, holiday pay, working hours, rest periods, and social security contributions.
Rodriguez noted it was the first time multiple government agencies conducted joint inspection of the transport sector in Western Visayas.
DOLE-6 was joined by inspectors of the Land Transportation Office (LTO), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund), and Social Security System (SSS).
Meanwhile, a multi-agency government caravan starts today in various transportation terminals in Iloilo City.