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LEGISLATIVE concern for the working classes is always a
welcome—though not always that readily forthcoming—development.
But it has to be said, this factor sometimes manifests itself in the
most intriguing ways.
A case in point is the issue taken up by
Cotabato Rep. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza in the House of
Representatives where she is asking the committee on labor and
employment to inquire into the enforcement of the Labor Code
provision that requires shops to provide seats for use by their
mostly female sales attendants.
It has to be said that most consumers observing
staff at retail establishments standing around for several hours of
their working day would sympathize with their plight and therefore
find common ground with the Mindanao lawmaker’s concern.
Taliño-Mendoza stressed that Article 132 of the
Labor Code clearly commands department stores, supermarkets and
other retailers to provide seats for sales personnel, for use during
working hours, as long as they could still efficiently perform their
duties.
“This mandate is meant to protect the mostly
female workers in retail trade and other industries from the health
risks of prolonged standing at work. We are thus saddened that many
employers continue to blatantly disregard the rule,” Taliño-Mendoza
said.
There are numerous studies showing that workers
forced to stand long hours in the course of fulfilling their duties
at work are at greater risk of occupational health problems.
The Mindanao lawmaker said the ailments linked
to prolonged standing on the job include varicose veins, swelling in
the feet and legs, foot problems, lower limb disorders, fatigue and
pain due to inadequate blood circulation, joint compression and
damage and even pregnancy difficulties.
“Forcing staff to keep standing on the job is
damaging to the business. It merely leads to unhealthy and less
productive workers,” she said.
Taliño-Mendoza urged the Department of Labor
and Employment’s Bureau of Women and Young Workers to build up
compliance with the Labor Code provisions that are meant to ensure
the health and safety of female personnel, including those employed
in the retail trade sector.
She lamented that the lack of suitable
facilities in the workplace for female laborers has led to increased
job stress and made them completely exposed to various ailments.
She likewise cited the need for agencies and
companies to develop highly responsive health programs for female
employees, including those focusing on the risks posed by new
technologies in the workplace.
On a related front, Taliño-Mendoza also said
she is “totally behind” the House bill seeking to raise to 120
days or four months the existing 60-day paid maternity leave benefit
that is currently mandated by law.
“This will allow new mothers to fully recover
and definitely go a long way in promoting breastfeeding and infant
health,” she pointed out.
She also cited the need for Congress to add
teeth to the law compelling private and public offices to establish
day care centers and nursing rooms for working mothers. They are
often a costly loss to the workforce because they are unable to find
suitable home help to take care of their infants while they are at
work.
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