Rest periods for guards, midheels for salesladies

An administrative order will be crafted regarding the grant of rest periods for employees and prohibition of wearing high-heels for sales ladies to address the issues concerning the well-being of workers in the country.

Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) Secretary Silvestre Bello III, in an interview, said the technical working group of the department met yesterday, August 15, to discuss recommendations that will be used as the basis of the order.

"When I heard about the call of many sales ladies to abolish the requirement of many establishments on wearing high-heeled shoes, I immediately made an action to solve this issue," Bello said.

He said he already ordered Dole-Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC), the Bureau of Working Conditions (BWC) and the Bureau of Special Working Concerns (BSWC) to come up with a directive with regards high heels that not only cause discomfort but also long-term injuries.

The order will also be extended to male employees and security guards by providing them time to rest for at least 10 minutes per hour.

"It depends on the establishment as to how they want to implement the rest minutes or hours. They can allow the workers to go out or nap, for as long as they are given enough time to breathe after a long time of standing," Bello said.

Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) lauded this planned order in their released statement last Monday, August 14, saying that it is indeed right to give the wellness of these employees an importance.

However, ALU-TUCP Spokesperson Alan Tanjusay, in a released statement, said the union hope the policy should not cover only sales ladies and security guards but promodizers in supermarkets, waitresses, hotel and restaurant receptionists, flight attendants and lady security guards as well.