TUCP president lambasts DoLE for death of 8 female workers in fire

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has slammed the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) for being remiss in its job that caused the death of eight female workers in a padlocked warehouse in Pasay City last May 29.

TUCP national president Ernesto Herrera described the horrific incident as “outrageous” similar to what happened in Bangladesh some years back.
“Had there been regular inspection of the warehouse, the tragedy could have been prevented,” the TUCP national president told The Daily Tribune.

According to Herrera, he can see many violations in the incident that the DoLE must look into seriously so that proper charges can be filed against the owners of the house, Juanito Go and Samson Co.

First, many of the victims were underage; second, the area was declared as residential but actually it is business area; third, padlocking the workers is a severe offense; fourth, there was no ventilation in the area where the victims died; fifth, the business has no permit, and sixth, the area where the workers died is reportedly only less than 25 square meters which is just equivalent to a studio-type condominium that can be occupied by two persons.

“If there is an agency that must be accountable for this horrific incident, it’s no other than DoLE. This is outrageous. Those behind this grisly crime should be jailed. That place is a pure sweatshop,” Herrera, a senator for 12 years, added.

He said “they cannot expect the workers to go to their office and complain because they don’t want to lose their job,” he said.

If inspections are done, the activity in the warehouse will be discovered and the owner will be forced to obey rules and regulations in managing a business. The eight women who died were reportedly working as DVD packers and programmers for Chinese-language films and Samsung-branded tablets.

Herrera also labeled Go’s alibi as “pure lie” that he should not be charged with negligence and other violations because he was not there when the fire broke out.

“He is the owner; his workers will just follow his instructions. Had the key was with any of the victim they could have escaped,” the former senator said.

The TUCP president encouraged the DoLE and even President Aquino to do their best to give justice to the victims of the fire.

“I want to see tuwid na daan (straight path) in this case,” Herrera, who won the very prestigious George Meany award, the Nobel Prize in the labor world, in 1983, said.

The Pasay Fire Bureau chief identified the fatalities as Heideliza Ib-Ib, 24; Lorena Ib-Ib, 21; Angeline Quillano, 21; Shelalyn Habagat, 19; Jelsa Saburiga, 19; Renelyn Debaguio, 21; Maricris Palmesa Calumba, 21, and Floralyn Balucos, 20. –Ed Velasco
http://www.tribune.net.ph/metro-section/tucp-president-lambasts-dole-for-death-of-8-female-workers-in-fire