A bill protecting employers from getting sued by their employees who contracted coronavirus at work was approved by the Senate Committee on Trade.
However, the bill stipulates that this will only apply if the private establishment has fully complied with the relevant laws and regulations related to the spread, prevention and management of COVID-19.
The Department of Labor and Employment expressed its support for the measure during the Senate panel hearing on Tuesday.
According to Senior Labor Employment Officer Queen Espinas, under the current regulation, employers are not directly liable should there be work-related illnesses such as COVID-19.
“We’d like however to highlight that this exemption is subject to compliance with SSS and other applicable rules and regulations,” said Espinas.
As a remedy, Espinas said that employees who contract COVID-19 can file a claim before the Employees Compensation Commission through the Social Security System.
“The EC (Employee’s Compensation) claim will be filed through SSS and it is the ECC which will pay for the benefits,” he added.
Senate Trade Committee Chairman Koko Pimentel said he will recommend the bill to the plenary.
