The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is now eyeing to conduct additional stakeholder consultation regarding the proposed new legislation on occupational safety in the entertainment industry.
Labor Assistant Sec. Benjo M. Benavidez said the additional dialogue will determine the possible concerns of the parties to be affected by House Bill 191 or the Actors Occupational Safety and Health Standard Bill.
He said the presentation of a bill to Tripartite Executive Committee (TEC) and the Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (TIPC), which have representatives from both management and labor groups, helps DOLE in determining its position to the legislation.
“The resolution [from TEC and TIPC] helps in fasttracking [the passage of] legislation,” Benavidez said in an interview.
HB 191 was filed by 1-PACMAN party-list Rep. Michael Romero to prevent work-related fatalities in the entertainment industry.
However, some labor officials expressed reservation on the new legislation since it may be deemed discriminatory since it imposes stricter requirements for a specific industry.
In a related development, Bureau of Working Condition (BWC) Director Ma. Teresita Cucueco that DOLE is still working on a new occupational safety and health (OSH) guidelines for the entertainment industry.
The issuance aims to iron out issues, which are particular for the said industry, such as long working hours as well as the possible application of OSH to actors and actress, who have no employer-employee relationship with their producers.