Don’t sell products to jobseekers, companies told

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has warned graduates, students, and jobseekers against marketing firms that compel applicants to purchase their products, pay for training kits, and undergo training for non-existing jobs.

The DoLE’s warning came after a worker filed a complaint with the DoLE’s Public Assistance Complaint Unit (Pacu) against a marketing firm in Malate, Manila who asked him to pay P4,000 for a water purifier and a training kit as a requirement for a job, which turned out to be non-existent.

Complainant Israel Garduque, a 25-year-old college graduate, said the person who interviewed him when he submitted his application told him that he should first buy any appliance which the marketing firm offered to applicants, pay for training kits, and undergo training before he could be hired.

He said he applied with the firm because its advertisement in the newspaper said it would accept any college graduate or student to fill up jobs such as HR officer, marketing assistant, supervisor, and other white-collar positions.

“I was desperate for a job that’s why I readily agreed to pay P3,500 for a water purifier and another P550 for a training kit before I underwent a two-week training for a job which did not materialize,” said Garduque, who is currently engaged in a part-time work and still looking for a regular job.

He said he stopped training with the marketing firm when he sensed that the jobs promised to applicants were non-existent. He wanted a refund of the money which the marketing firm fleeced from him.

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, citing a report from the Legal Service (LS) which supervises the Pacu, said Garduque was just one of the 3, 966 workers and a few management representatives who came to Pacu for assistance on labor and employment matters from January to November this year.

“Garduque’s case is still being heard at the DoLE Regional Office in the National Capital Region where it was referred to by the Pacu,” Baldoz said as she called on jobseekers to report to the nearest DoLE office any company or employer who may require them to buy products before they could be hired.

“Employers should not require workers or even applicants to buy their products as this is tantamount to violation of the law,” she said, adding that jobseekers should be wary of the modus operandi of unscrupulous firms that engage in recruitment but are actually selling their products to applicants.

Article 12 of the Labor Code and Article 288 of the Revised Penal Code prohibit employers from obliging their workers to purchase merchandise and commodities from them.

Meanwhile, LS data showed that the Pacu assisted about 16 clients a day from January to November 2010.

The unit advised a total of 2,535 workers and management representatives with labor and employment concerns. It referred 683 workers to the regional arbitration branch, another 327 to the DoLE regional offices, and 78 other individuals to the Public Attorney’s Office and other government units.

It also held mediation conferences to 343 complainants, out of whom 183 received a total of P2.67 million in back wages, separation pay, and other monetary benefits due them. The beneficiaries included 18 workers who were granted their money claims upon settlement of their complaint against their erring employers during the month of November. –INQUIRER.net