Labour department praises companies hiring senior citizens, people with disabilities
The Philippines’ Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) has noticed the “good development” that sees private companies hiring more senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs), but is reminding employers to treat them equally.
Labour Assistant Secretary Benjo Santos Benavidez issued the advice following the surfacing of photos on social media sites of senior citizens and people with disabilities working for fast food chains and restaurants in Manila.
“We noticed this good development in companies who employ senior citizens and PWDs [persons with disabilities] because of the intensified advocacy of the government. However, we would like to remind them that these senior citizens and PWD workers are also entitled to equal wages and opportunities in the workplace,” he said.
The four-hour work scheme of thesegroups must be according to the minimum wage law, and they must also be compensated with the appropriate overtime pay for working more than eight hours in a day, said Benavidez.
The labour official also highlighted Section 4 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 10911 of the Anti-Age Discrimination Act. The law prohibits employers from discriminating against applicants or workers in terms of their age through “any forms of publication or advertisement relating to employment” or by declining “employment application, promotion or training opportunities due to the individual’s age.”
However, there are certain exemptions to the law that allows employers to hire only younger workers “if the job skills are bonafide for the occupation or if it can have a detrimental effect on the health of the worker,” said Benavidez, citing police officers and construction workers as examples.
