WEP first training series on labor standards

The Workers and Employees Program (WEP) of the University of the Philippines College of Law/Law Center ended on 8 October 2022, its first five Saturday training series on Workers’ Rights and Benefits Under Labor Standards Laws through a six-hour session of benefits, with the topic WELFARE LEGISLATION OR SPECIAL LAWS (versus the general law: the Labor Code).

A total of 55 workers and employees from labor organizations, associations, and unions, unaffiliated workers and employees, paralegals, law and labor and industrial relations students, and others participated virtually in the first WEP training series.

For the fifth session, the resource persons were Atty. Marissa C. Mapalo, Department Manager III, Member Education Department, Social Security System (SSS); Prof. Darlene Marie B. Berberabe, Former President, Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund); Mr. William Roi S. Bagay, Social Insurance Officer III, Government Service Insurance System (GSIS); Mr. Alvin C. Garcia, Information Officer IV, Employees Compensation Commission (ECC); Ms. Arsenia B. Torres, Senior Manager, and Social Health Insurance Academy, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

Questions during the open forum that followed each presentation covered eligibility for benefits in different situations, such as death during duty, passing of leave benefits to alternate caregiver, crediting of contributions appearing on the payslip but not on the agency’s records, gross minimum income to avail of housing loan, crediting of years of service in government work to compute benefits for SSS, stress and mental health-related illnesses due to work-related causes, and work-connected injuries from work-from-home or work-anywhere schemes.

The WEP first training series was held on Saturday mornings, except for the last day, which was held the whole day. The earlier training sessions covered the following topics, with the resource persons listed:

WAGES (10 September 2022): Atty. Queen Therese “Queen” D. Espinas, Attorney III, Labor Standards Appeals and Review Division, Bureau of Working Conditions (BWC), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); and Atty. Grace N. Mana-ay-Badilla, Attorney V, Review, Appeals and Legal Division, DOLE – National Wages and Productivity Commission

WORKING CONDITIONS (17 September 2022): Atty. Queen Therese “Queen” D. Espinas, Attorney III, Labor Standards Appeals and Review Division, Bureau of Working Conditions (BWC), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)

SPECIAL GROUPS OF WORKERS (24 September 2022): Mr. Brent Kenneth L. Calvo, Senior Labor and Employment Officer, Women Workers Development Division, DOLE-Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns; and Ms. Dianne Alavado, Senior Labor and Employment Officer, Young Workers Development Division (YWDD), Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns (BWSC)

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH, MEDICAL AND DENTAL BENEFITS (1 October 2022): Ms. Nadia De Leon, Executive Director, Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (IOHSAD).

WEP Program Director Prof. Patricia R.P. Salvador Daway underscored the importance of the training at the beginning of every session, explaining that labor standards are the rights of workers which they can claim as a matter of legal right and to which the employers are mandated as a matter of legal obligation to comply with. For each of the five training sessions, Senior Legal Associate Atty. Emir-Deogene V. Mendoza gave the synthesis at the end.

WEP looks forward to holding other training series which will focus on trade unionism and other labor-related concerns and issues.