The Philippines becomes the first country in Asia to ban the mandatory wearing of high heels in the workplace, after the Department of Labor and Employment signed an order not to require female employees to wear high heels at work.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III signed the department order following a call from the Alliance of Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines against the mandatory wearing of high-heeled shoes that puts at risk the occupational safety of working women.
“We commend the DoLE for acting swiftly on our request to ban in the country the mandatory wearing of high heels in all workplaces because it causes them pain and exposes them to risks and dangers in performing their jobs,” ALU-TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said.
High heels, as defined under the order, are shoes with narrow, pointed heels higher than an inch.
“As far as we know, the Philippines is the first country in Asia to ban the mandatory wearing of high heels in workplace. We hope that the regulation will also be copied and applied for the benefit of workers in the entire Asian region,” Tanjusay said.
He said that “with this regulation, millions of Filipina salesladies, promodizers, waitresses, lady guards, receptionists and those women working in factory assembly lines will now be freed from the bondage of unsafe and dangerous working conditions.”
However, the DOLE said they will still allow high-heeled shoes but at a height not beyond one inch.
“We still allow one inch – there are people who are more comfortable wearing shoes with elevation – but it should be wedge-type shoes, not stilleto,” Labor Undersecretary Dominador Say said.
The department order also requires establishments to give “sitting breaks” to both male and female workers, and to provide seats for them.
“They can sit for a short duration so long as it will not have detrimental effects on their productivity,” he said.
The order will take effect 15 days after publication in a national broadsheet.
Bello said that employers who violate the order may face penalties under existing labor standards, but DOLE would first try to implement the order using a “positive approach.” It would assess what kind of adjustments can be made in the long run.
DOLE will meet with the workers and employers’ representatives in the Tripartite Industrial Peace Council to discuss details on how the order will be implemented.