Shortage of construction workers traced to low pay, poor access to certification

Low pay, meager benefits, unsafe and unhealthy working conditions, and poor access to certification are some of the causes of shortage of construction workers in the country, a labor group said.

“It’s true that we have shortage of construction workers. Though we have plenty of certified, skilled and world class construction workers but due to meager salary, poor benefits, unsafe and unhealthy working conditions and lowly regarded workers they prefer to work abroad,” said Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) President Raymond Mendoza in a statement.

“After a few months of training and actual field experience here because they are dignified there, they are given higher salary and benefits there, and are given free decent housing and paid vacation,” he added.

The TUCP estimates that there are three million construction workers nationwide. However, only about one million of them are certified.

“We are currently experiencing “skill and brain drain” phenomenon because of this bad treatment of our construction workers. The nation is losing fast its vast and excellent reserves of construction manpower to higher pay and attractive benefits offered by companies abroad,” said Mendoza.

“We have a vast pool of highly, multi-skilled and fine craftsmen but also because of lack of training facilities and poor access to certification programs we do not tap them to become potentials for the country’s build, build, build programs. Many of them even have to pay, fall in long line and travel far just to access national certification,” he added.

The labor group proposed to raise the minimum wage of construction workers from the current R500 to R800 per day and improve their benefits.

“Construction workers even purchase their own personal protective equipment, buy their own drinking water, pay for their food, and given a dirty and bad sleeping quarters during the whole duration of the construction project,” said Mendoza.

Mendoza said that the government's 'Build, Build, Build' program can help raise the "dignity" of the construction workers.

“There seems to be no pride and no dignity being a construction worker nowadays. But President Duterte’s Build, Build, Build program is an opportunity to address that and raise the dignity of our construction working people through a functioning and sustained government policy,” said Mendoza.