Philippines to ask Japan for better health and safety standards for workers
The Philippine government will ask Japan for better standards of health and safety conditions of Filipino workers following the death of a Filipino trainee due to overwork two years ago, the labor department told the Manila Shimbun.
In a text message, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said his office would assist the family of Joey Tocnang, a trainee who died of heart failure in 2014.
Japan labor authorities found the 27-year old Filipino, working in a casting company in Gifu Prefecture, was overworked, resulting to his death.
"We could sit down with the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and seek stronger standards of health and safety conditions of Filipino workers, especially trainees, in Japan," Bello said.
The labor chief said the government could also ask for "adequate compensation" from the employer for the family of Tocnang.
He said the DOLE could provide assistance to the family through death benefits from both the private insurance company and the Overseas Welfare Workers' Administration.
Bello has yet to reply if President Rodrigo Duterte will include in his agenda during his trip to Japan next week call to further strengthen the labor laws and health and safety protection of the OFWs in Japan.
Duterte will visit Japan on October 25 to 27.
According to the 2015 Survey on overseas Filipinos by the Philippine Statistics Authority, there were 2.4 million OFWs who worked abroad at anytime during the period April to September 2015. Of the total deployed OFWs during the period, 3.5 percent were in Japan. Celerina Monte/DMS
