DAVAO CITY – Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) fears dislocation of workers with ‘no fire permit, no business permit’ policy.
President Benigno Aquino on Monday, announced that the government is adopting the policy of not giving permits to businesses which have not secured a Fire Safety Inspection Certificate (FSIC).
Out of the 295,885 registered establishments in Metro Manila, only 43,788 have been given FSICs by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
The group said that Aquino came up with this policy to point out that the Local Government of Valenzuela is at fault for giving Kentex a business permit despite the BFP’s refusal to grant the company an FSIC.
KMU said that the president wants to shield top officials of national government agencies like the BFP and the Department of Labor and Employment from the blame for the incident.
However, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz herself admitted that her agency granted Kentex a certificate of compliance with regard to occupational health and safety standards and general labor standards.
The said certificate was granted on September 18, 2014, months after the BFP refused to grant an FSIC to Kentex.
The group demands an investigation into the “slow-paced issuance of FSIC to business establishments by the BFP.”
KMU said that the business establishments’ temporary closure is not the fault of workers, therefore, workers should be given their full wages for the entire period the establishments should be closed.
The group believes that the policy will adversely affect small Filipino businessmen “already reeling from high power and water rates, high taxes and kickbacks, trade liberalization and smuggling, and competition from big foreign and local capitalists.”
The group is also calling on all business owners to speak up against “No FSIC, no business permit” policy.(Diana C. Tomale/davaotoday.com)
