Labor NGO slams DOLE definition of ’employment’
THE non-government organization (NGO) Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) yesterday scored the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for its definition of an employed person in the country that sets a “very low standard.”
In a statement, the CTUHR said defining an employed person as “someone who worked for one hour in a week” is simply unacceptable and could even be “harmful to the labor sector.”
“CTUHR is dismayed by the admission of a labor department official that the country’s definition of an employed person is someone who worked for one hour in a week,” said the CTUHR.
“We, in the labor NGO, believe that this definition is harmful to the labor and human rights of Filipinos,” it added.
It believes the adoption of such a definition is only meant to create a “false impression” that the employment situation in the country is rosy.
“The reality in the Philippines is that one hour of employment does not amount to decent work. The government should not delude itself and try to delude the public about the real employment situation in the country,” said the CTUHR.
On a practical basis, the group said working for merely one hour will get a worker nowhere as it would mean that a worker, who receives the P645 minimum wage in Metro Manila, will only receive around P80.
“This amount will not meet a worker’s daily needs or his or her family’s daily needs,” said CTUHR.
Worse, the group said such a mindset from the DOLE would likely lead to insufficient action on its part.
“Because many Filipinos are already considered employed, the government can continue refusing to take decisive action to create decent jobs in the country,” said CTUHR.
Earlier, DOLE Undersecretary Carmela Torres said the definition of an “employed person” is when one has worked at least one hour at the time of the survey.
This comes as the employment rate in the country rose to 95.3 percent in July 2024 from 95.1 percent in July 2023, based on the latest Labor Force Survey results.
