(Eagle News)–Employers should not hesitate to send home workers who show symptoms of the flu but continue to report to work, Senator Joel Villanueva said.
According to Villanueva, employers should, after all, consider the occupational health and safety of their entire organization.
Villanueva at the same time urged the Department of Labor and Employment to issue a labor advisory reminding private companies of their obligations to comply with labor standards particularly the Occupational Safety and Health law.
“While the public’s awareness of the prevailing health scare concerning the novel coronavirus (nCoV) remains high, our labor officials should seize the moment to reiterate that the health and safety of our workers must be of paramount concern to employers,” Villanueva said.
He said the labor advisory “will also serve as a warning for companies who think that they can tip toe around prevailing regulations without any consequence.”
He said the DOLE could take cue from their counterparts in the Department of Health, which have been aggressive in informing the public of the proper precautions to avoid nCoV and the suspected and confirmed incidences in the country.
He also praised the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration for issuing a timely bulletin to its overseas welfare offices across the world about the nCoV using information from the World Health Organization.
The advisory, dated January 24, contains travel precautions and related advice to the public, the senator said.
“We hope to see this similar resolve from our friends in the labor department for the benefit of our workers,” he said, as he appealed for calm following the confirmation of the country’s first novel coronavirus case.
