An Inter-Agency Anti-Arson Task Force (IATF) has been formed to investigate the fire that razed a footwear factory in Valenzuela City last May 13 and killed 72 workers as Malacañang assured yesterday that heads will roll for those who will be found to be lenient in implementing labor and safety standards.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is intensifying efforts to ensure that labor standards are being observed in the wake of the fire that razed the Kentex Manufacturing Corporation factory in Valenzuela City.
“The Labor Department is intensifying their inspections when it comes to the industrial work places like the one in Valenzuela,” Valte said.
“In fact, they already have initial reports on Kentex and she (Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz) was saying that they (Kentex owners) have been engaging the services of a non-DOLE registered subcontractor, so we’re looking at another violation,” she said.
Valte said employers should comply with labor laws to avoid a repeat of the fire that razed the Valenzuela factory.
“Yung non-compliance with regular wages, etc, working conditions, certainly we don’t want it replicated,” Valte said.
The task force, to be chaired by Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, is expected to release its findings in two weeks.
Indian Express
