LABOR GROUPS have called on the government to strengthen workplace safety measures and provide income support for workers affected by the El Niño phenomenon, citing risks to health, employment and livelihoods from prolonged dry conditions and extreme heat.
The Federation of Free Workers (FFW) urged employers and unions to develop workplace safety plans that include access to drinking water, shaded rest areas and paid cooling breaks, as well as adjustments to work schedules and production targets based on heat exposure.
In a proposed set of guidelines, FFW said workers should be involved in identifying heat-related risks and establishing protocols for temporarily stopping work when conditions become unsafe.
“Promote financial assistance, subsidies, or interest-free or low-interest loans (soft loans) for the purchase and installation of safe water storage facilities or tanks, including residential rainwater harvesting systems,” FFW told BusinessWorld in a Viber chat.
“Any loan must be voluntary, subject to clear terms and conditions, and feature manageable repayment installments,” it stated, among other suggestions.
It also called for protection against wage deductions or penalties for workers who take safety-related breaks.
The group also urged employers to extend support to informal workers, including delivery riders, transport workers, vendors and farmworkers, through access to cooling stations, drinking water and income assistance.
It recommended that unions monitor workplace conditions and submit weekly reports on heat-related illnesses, accidents, work stoppages, and unresolved safety concerns.
EL NIÑO ACTION PLANSeparately, the Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (Sentro) called for a dedicated El Niño Labor and Employment Action Plan for 2026-2027.
“While households can take precautions, individual coping measures cannot substitute for a comprehensive government response to a climate phenomenon that threatens water security, agriculture, food supply, public health, livelihoods, and workers’ ability to work safely amid extreme heat,” Sentro said in a separate Viber message.
“We need a government that prepares, provides, and protects,” it added.
The labor group urged the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) to issue a department order on heat protection, backed by workplace inspections and enforcement, particularly in construction, delivery services, agriculture and other outdoor industries.
It also called for emergency employment and income-support programs, protection for informal workers and a national summit on workers’ protection during El Niño, with identified funding, implementing agencies and measurable targets.
House Resolution No. 1566, filed by Party-list Rep. Elijah R. San Fernando, urges the House Committee on Labor and Employment to investigate the impact of strong El Niño on workers’ safety, employment, income and livelihoods, and the adequacy of DoLE’s preparedness and social protection measures. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking