Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III is championing the cause of female employess who are made to stand for long hours while wearing high-heeled shoes.
Bello said he is looking at crafting an order that would require employers to allow “sitting breaks” for the female employees.
Bello said prolonged standing while wearing high heels is “almost inhumane,” and mulled on the possibility of short breaks for employees who endure long hours of standing in heels.
“Ang hirap kaya nakatindig ka ng four hours. Sana may side man lang ang salesgirls, like upuan, where they can take a rest. For every one hour e paupuin sila ng 10 minutes,” he said Thursday.
“Kawawa ang nga babae, ang babata pa naman may varicose na,” he added.
Bello said a technical working group is already preparing an order against the mandatory wearing of high-heels and prolonged standing at work.
Bello said the TWG has informed him that wearing high heels may only be an option to employees.
Concerns on prolonged wearing of high heels were raised after the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) proposed a ban on the mandatory wearing of high heels, saying they have received several complaints from female employees such as salesladies.
The group said the practice poses danger to their safety and health.
It said that the DoLE should issue a policy prohibiting employers to compel women workers from wearing high heels and should also cover not only salesladies but promodizers in supermarkets, waitresses, hotel and restaurant receptionists and flight attendants as well.
“We received many persistent complaints from salesladies working in department stores and malls that they are in pain walking and standing for long hours performing their jobs in high heel shoes. They also worry that it might have long-term damaged on them. This is a grave concern to their health and safety and so we are asking the DOLE to prohibit employers from requiring their employees to wear high heel shoes in doing their work,” ALU-TUCP national executive vice president Gerard Seno said.
“Apart from the pain, working women also complain of injury after slipping, falling and tripping with high heel shoes on. This must be stopped. Women workers should not be compelled to put on high heel shoes against their will. They should not be exposed to any harm and danger at all times,” Seno said.
The government has no existing regulation that governs the wearing of high-heel shoes in the workplace and gave the discretion to employers. Thus, women working under the company policy have no choice but to comply and endure the agony for long periods.
“For fear of censure from supervisors and lack of genuine grievance mechanism in the workplace amid numerous anecdotal accidents involving high heel shoes, women in the circumstances are powerless–most of which are contractualized workers and have no union to represent them. They just endure the pain for the entire duration of their shift and have no choice but to comply with company policy for the entire duration of their contracts against their will,” Seno said.
Seno said they also urge the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to create a regulation outlawing schools from requiring female students to wear high heel shoes particularly those taking upmhospitality and guest relations courses and training.
Researchers from the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom found out that high-heeled wearing skeletally immature adolescents are most likely to suffer postural disorders affecting head positioning, the back, pelvis and knee.