Working conditions and labour laws in the Philippines

Priscilla wrote:

Hello,

Working conditions differ across the world, and as a working expat, it is important to know your rights as an employee.

Are working conditions standard in the Philippines? For instance, are working hours, paid time off, and sick leave different for expats v.s. locals? Do they differ based on the type of company (private, public, NGO)?

Are there laws in place regarding physical conditions of the office, employee protection, etc.?

What are some resources in the Philippines to inform people about labour laws and employee rights (websites, governmental associations)?

Have the general working conditions or labour laws changed in any way lately?

How do the working conditions and labour laws in the Philippines differ from your country of origin?

Thank you for sharing your experience,

Priscilla

I am sure Priscilla that you already know the answers to your most of your questions and as always you appear to be trawling, perhaps to add to your wealth of knowledge or simply get your stats up. Sorry to be harsh but I do take note of your posts.
I have worked in PH as an international on a couple of occasions as well as living in your fine country for 12 months and holidaying some 10 or 12 times in the interim while not working, a plethora of other countries also. I also hold a 25 + 25 year lease and committed to this great country with my better half, tell you what, we go there and do our work and your government is pleased, gives tax incentives to not only my company but hundreds of others for employing locals to see our dollars and local employment and,,,,,,,, pretty well it is free range, once the numbers are crunched working in PH. is lucrative. All agreed and contracted as ratified by  the PH. government.

As employees of an international company, all under contract, all abide by the employers contract no matter the origin as long as it's legal. We pay the locals 3 times their normal wage, they are more than happy as we are. Local employees get the same rights as internationals,,,,,, contract.

While there are certainly discrepancies with pay rates for westerners and locals I have to say that all are looked after, binding contract etc.

You raise an interesting point here that I have first hand experience with,,,,,"How do the working conditions and labour laws in the Philippines differ from your country of origin?"
Firstly I must say from personal experience that while my better half worked for PNR for some 5 years was never paid overtime (unheard of in civilised countries) and will probably never be reimbursed for extra hours claimed (time sheets) some 100K. His father also worked for PNR and also clocked up many hundreds of thousands of pesos through his employment,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 6 years later they presented him with a cheque of PHP. 8K and stated more will come as budget dictates.
Won't happen in a developed country Priscilla but you already know that.

Sorry Priscilla, there appears to be something very amiss here, a country with 350 odd years of Spanish influence and another 100 years of western democracy? Perhaps you can fill in the missing pieces?

Why can I live in this fine country and employ a caretaker 4 or 5K a month, a  yaya for the same, the labourer to build my extensions and renovations for the same, a leading hand, construction manager for 10 to 12K or see a specialist doctor for the princely sum of 400 pesos? This is your country Priscilla so perhaps you could enlighten us to the actuals and why it is unjust.
How about some input from your perspective or even from the heart. Not criticising but would like to understand why you try to generate interest with regards to an interesting or boring situation. Your thoughts please also.

OMO.

Cheers, Steve.

@ Steve >

For your information, i am a member of the Expat.com team and i am not from the Philippines.

In order to help the community, we ( the team) launch topics in order to gather information and to encourage interaction between members.

This particular topic has been chosen as we noticed that a lot of members have questions about labour laws in their adoption country.

Thank you for your understanding,

Priscilla
Expat.com team

Priscilla wrote:

@ Steve >

For your information, i am a member of the Expat.com team and i am not from the Philippines.

In order to help the community, we ( the team) launch topics in order to gather information and to encourage interaction between members.

This particular topic has been chosen as we noticed that a lot of members have questions about labour laws in their adoption country.

Thank you for your understanding,

Priscilla
Expat.com team

Thanks Priscilla,

My bad for not looking at your profile/origin, I did though realise that you are a tied up with expat.com but thought you were either admin or moderator and not just a member so obviously you are dedicated and yes you do generate interest within the Philippines expat members area and I can only assume plenty of other expat countries.

Well regardless of my ill-informed statement/s with regards to the topic I have contributed and thrown my 2 bobs worth in based on only my experiences, my views to the differences between my mother country Australia and my new home in PH. with regards to basic employment within those two countries, obviously vastly different but as said from personal experience working for international companies the locals are well cared for and then some compared to the norms within PH. My personal experience with regards to local employment in PH. is gleaned from firstly my better half and then family and friends.
As said my better half and his father both worked for PNR (Philippines National Railways) a government employer and when directed to work overtime, while knowing they may never be paid for their extra input, perhaps all they want to do is keep their regular job? While I have no idea to where the Philippines is at with actual labour laws nor the strength of unions it certainly appears and is pretty well known that with "official" unemployment rates of some 5.0 to 6 .0% depending on what and where you read the economic figures, should be booming. Input from family and friends suggest 20 to 25% not working that could be.

Figures and statistics can only be understood if one knows the formulas to arrive at the projected/forwarded figures, these are never supplied or even questioned by most. Again regardless for me given all the tripe we will contribute to the economy and yes fairly and not take advantage as many do.

Given your post and the tripe I have contributed I sincerely hope other members will throw their hat into the ring and offer other perspectives and then some.
Again thanks Priscilla for pointing out my "jumping the gun".

Cheers, Steve.

I know their are some labor laws, but for the most part they are useless, I know maids and helpers working from 1500 to 2500 a month no philhealth which I think is required by law, and will not say anything for fear of loosing the job, it amazes me to go in a mall or store and see the amount of people standing around, the labor is cheap but you have the paperwork, you go into a super market in the USA no one will sack your items they are designed so the cashier does it, I am sure the owners of these Mall's have been in a Walmart, so why have all the workers?

Okieboy wrote:

I know their are some labor laws, but for the most part they are useless, I know maids and helpers working from 1500 to 2500 a month no philhealth which I think is required by law, and will not say anything for fear of loosing the job, it amazes me to go in a mall or store and see the amount of people standing around, the labor is cheap but you have the paperwork, you go into a super market in the USA no one will sack your items they are designed so the cashier does it, I am sure the owners of these Mall's have been in a Walmart, so why have all the workers?

i beleeve that the number of workers is related to the syse of the working place by law ,hens the reason why so many are just loitering around doing little or nothing and the very low salary.
maybe these laws could be innovated ,but,then less will have a job ,but the salary would be better.
there are pro's and con's .
we expats come from a priviliged position and it is easy to comment from our luxery view on this .
i think it is not easy to govern a country so i leave it to those who do take this huge responsability

greets Dirk