Resort managers and employees urged to be vigilant

Jun Ariolo N. Aguirre
Kalibo, Aklan- The National Labor Relations Commission urged resort owners, managers and employees to be vigilant and know their respective labor rights as the nation celebrates Labor Day in May 1.

In an interview, Virgilio Bautista of the NLRC-Kalibo said that in the previous years many employees and laborers attain minimum standard of wages from their respective employers because they themselves are not aware of their basic rights as laborers.

"Many business managers often took advantaged of the employees for not being vigilant of their rights because they know (business managers) the employees could be easily threatened to be replace by another applicant if they become vigilant in their respective working places," Bautista said.

Citing the experience of the NLRC in the province, he said that almost eighty percent of those labor cases filed in their office came from Boracay Island mostly of illegal dismissal.

"It is just unfortunate that many of those owners who were complained of were foreigners who are investing in the country. Usually, the foreigners were surprised when they recieved notification that one of their employees filed a case against them," Bautista said.

"It was learned that many of the Filipino managers are at fault in the labor cases because they want to 'sipsip' with the foreigners who owned the business thinking that several of their employeers could be easily tricked.

"Some Filipino managers doesnt care of giving out bonuses such as 13th month pay to their respective employees thinking that they could save huge amount of money in the business. But they are wrong," Bautista said.

"We are strictly encouraging the practice of not giving out the wages due to the employees because it turns-off foreign investors for Boracay because of the labor deceptions being practiced by several Filipino managers," he added.

To ensure that othe labor rights will be dessiminated among resort managers and employees for the province, the NLRC opens its landline numbers for all to inquire about their respective labor rights and encouraged laborers to file cases against their employees

Also, the hotline aimed to explain to business managers what are their respective obligations for their employees.