As the nation commemorated Labor Day yesterday, Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte called on the government to step up its efforts to promote the welfare of the country’s 42.5 million workers.
Labor Day should remind government leaders to assess if local labor laws still serve the interests of the lowly workers, she said.
“I think more than just celebrating the workers, it is a challenge to us leaders to make sure that our workers are given just and fair compensation and treatment,” she added.
Labor Day or not, it is the government’s duty to constantly study and review the existing labor laws and regulations and introduce reforms if the situation warrants it, Belmonte stressed.
A review of the labor laws would determine if such labor policies and regulations remain fair and sufficient enough to protect the workers’ rights and well-being, she said.
The vice mayor described the workers as the “backbone of the country’s economy,” saying “the country will never prosper if its labor workforce is not properly taken care of.”
“They [workers] must be happy for having enough wages and the opportunity to be able to uplift their lives,” she noted.