The Philippines’ labour authority has vowed that no workers will be displaced as a result of a fire that gutted a mall and killed 38 on December 23 in Davao City.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said different agencies of his office – such as the Bureau of Working Conditions, Occupational Safety and Health Centre and the Employees’ Compensation Commission – have been tapped to provide assistance to the more than 2,000 regular mall employees, agency-provided workers, employees of mall tenants call centre representatives affected by the fire at the New City Commercial Centre in the southern city.
Bello has ordered the release of almost S$800,000 to assist the workers.
NCCC has assured the DOLE that its 616 regular mall employees will be reassigned to other businesses and will continue to receive their salaries.
Meanwhile, the 192 workers under Bmirck Cooperative will be deployed by the agency to other establishments in the city.
SSI paid all its employees their salaries until end-2017 and is now working to resume operations in another building within 60 days. The SSI principal in the US is also considering paying the workers’ salaries for a whole 60-day period.
The DOLE is extending S$533 assistance to the families of the casualties, and another S$800 for their burial. A survivorship pension to the families, amounting to at least S$98 per month, will also be provided.
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