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The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) seeks to extend beyond six months the period of temporary displacement of employees to avoid a possible massive permanent reduction of personnel.
The Secretary of Labor, Silvestre H. Bello III, said that they began the study based on the appeal of the employer groups.
“Employers appealed if we can extend the period because they said their business is still not good and they are not yet in a position to rehire them,” Bello said during a Senate budget hearing last week.
The Undersecretary of Labor, Benjo Benavidez, explained that the six-month temporary displacement scheme is based on existing jurisprudence.
Many of the companies had implemented temporary displacement schemes last March to cope with the government’s large-scale community quarantine to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Bello said he is “inclined” to accept the request as companies affected by Covid may choose to fire their workers if they are not allowed to extend the temporary posting.
“I am interested in maintaining the employment situation of our workers,” said Bello. However, he noted that the extension may be as little as three months, which, he said, may be “more acceptable” to affected workers rather than another six months.
The labor chief said they could come out with the new policy on this this week.
As of September 14, 2020, DOLE registered more than 2 million workers who were affected by the temporary closure of establishments since January.
