The Department of Labor and Employment will inspect 3,840 in Western Visayas this year to ensure compliance with minimum wage requirement and other core workplace standards.

Secretary Arturo Brion said in a statement that the Labor Standards Enforcement Framework-Inspection Blitz will be conducted for three years from 2007 to 2009, starting with the first phase from July 2 to Nov. 30, 2007, for 50,640 establishments nationwide.

The second and third phases will be initiated in 2008 and 2009.

Brion said the inspection is like a maintenance overhaul wherein labor standards compliance is expected to result to better working conditions.

The first phase of the inspections will prioritize security and manpower agencies, malls, restaurants/fastfood enterprises, cooperatives, construction sites, manufacturing firms and highly-hazardous establishments. Inspectionable establishments aside from those listed will be checked on a non-priority basis.

The scope of inspection are core labor standards such as minimum wage, Emergency Cost of Living Allowance, 13th month pay, holiday pay, service incentive leave, Social Security System, Pag-IBIG, and PhilHealth benefits, and contractualization.

Every week, a labor inspector will be assigned to check a minimum of 12 establishments.

Brion said the LSEF-Inspection Blitz is based on the Visitorial and Enforcement Powers vested on the Labor Secretary by law, and the consensus of the social partners, the labor, management, and government, in the recent 2007 National Human Resource Conference.

This intensive inspection strategy manifests the determination of DOLE to make establishments across work to ensure compliance with core labor standards, Brion added.

In Cordillera Administrative Region, DOLE will inspect 960 establishments; National Capital Region, 10,560; Ilocos Region, 2,880; Cagayan Valley, 2,400; Central Luzon, 3,840; CALABARZON, 4,320; MIMAROPA, 1,440;

Bicol Region, 2,160; Central Visayas, 2,880; Eastern Visayas, 2,640; Zamboanga Peninsula, 2,640; Northern Mindanao, 3,360; Davao Region, 3,840; SOCSKSARGEN, 1,920; and CARAGA Region, 960.*NLG

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