(File photo)
MANILA – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Thursday reported that its labor inspections on private establishments have resumed this month.
In Administrative Order No. 31-2023 made public Thursday, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma authorized DOLE personnel to conduct labor inspections starting Feb. 1.
The order activates the department’s corps of inspectors which includes: labor inspectors (LIs), labor inspection auditors (LIAs), technical safety inspectors (TSIs), hearing officers (HOs), and sheriffs.
Each inspection unit, a system replicated down to its regional and field offices, is provided with a “general authority,” a listing of the minimum qualifications and standards of deportment that qualifies an inspector to conduct an inspection.
For labor inspectors, authority is only provided to DOLE personnel who have passed the basic training course, at least have a rank of Labor and Employment Officer III (LEO III), and do not have pending administrative or criminal cases.
On the other hand, Technical Safety Inspectors are required to be registered professional engineers and holders of a Professional Regulation Commission license and the required safety inspection training.
For the conduct of mandatory conferences, only designated hearing officers are allowed to conduct hearings for inspections. The order also outlined the functions of sheriffs which traditionally includes the enforcement of writs, serving notices of garnishments, and executing final decisions.
Also, it authorized regional directors to issue their respective “authority” to their respective labor inspectors.
The inspections are set to end on Dec. 31, 2023.
The department suspended labor inspection for the holiday season to focus on wrapping up labor standard cases across the country. (PNA)
