Unemployment is a classic example of labor problems. As I graduated from college last October 2004, I noticed that this kind of problem would occur. The government and private sectors have the capabilities to provide jobs for Filipinos. However, if there are no adequate job opportunities, the problem would exist.
Unemployment is not just considered to be an economic problem of our country. It is also considered to be the social problem. Crimes are resulted from unemployment. Therefore, this should be the first priority of the government.
Another area of labor problem is underemployment. Underemployment is persons who work for less than 40 hours per week. It exists in some part time jobs and agricultural based jobs. Two subdivisions of underemployment are visible and invisible. Visible underemployment is defined as the number of people who work less than 40 hours and want additional job to earn an income. On the other hand, the invisible underemployment is defined as the number of people working 40 hours or more per week but still want additional job to earn adequate income. Examples of invisible underemployment are the street vendors.
However, some people fail to earn adequate wages and earnings due to the increases of the prices of goods. It is also resulted from inability of the resources such as skills and intelligence to perform the tasks needed by the enterprises and firms. So, this is the primary reason why there are some laid-off cases in firms and establishments.
The majority of population in the Philippines is in the poverty threshold, which is defined as the level of affording minimum consumption of basic needs that are estimated for the families. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) referred poverty as the condition where a family receives insufficient income to meet the recommended minimum nutrient requirements and basic needs in clothing, education, medical care, housing, and fuel.
Has the management of firms and establishments been faithful to the Labor Code? Do they have taken the interests of their laborers by heart? If the answer to these questions is negative, therefore the result is a long-term labor-management conflict. Industrial and labor-management conflicts are one area of the labor problems exists in various cultures. One example I could give is my past working experience in Chinese business firm located near Meisic, Divisoria. It is a family owned business. The owners are from Mainland China. They would let me stay after the probationary period if I would allow them to deduct my salary from PhP 300.00 to PhP 250.00 since I cannot communicate well them in Fookien and had a hard time in improving my working skills since I my first two months working with them after I was laid-off in my first job in a grocery store which is owned by a Chinese family and located at the heart of Ongpin.
The deductions of my salary do not include the following deduction rules of the Labor Code because the deductibles are not SSS, Phil Health, Income Tax, and Pag-Ibig Funds. I needed to swallow my pride and dignity because I needed that job so bad at that time. No one from my closest and dearest friends would able to help me to defend myself against them.
After four months, I resigned from my job officially without any interest of getting my last salary PhP 500.00 from them because I have enough with their verbal mistreatment. Even though I am working for them and was being paid in amount of PhP 250.00 per day, I would not consider my status as lower than the slaves. I have no regrets for not obtaining my last salary because I already gained back my own pride and dignity.
Economic insecurities are also one of the factors of labor problems. This is defined as a head of a family who terribly insecure if he is not certain that his job would lasts long enough. Illness, accidents, retirements, threats of lockouts or strikes can also considered as labor problems.
One example I could give you is my past working experience in various Chinese business firms. I would consider myself as a head of a family since my father is retired from the employment and a certified senior citizen. I was laid-off after 3 or 5 months from the start of my employment period due to the insufficient skills I have for my job descriptions which is reasoned by my past employers.
It is hard for me to jump from one work place to another. After I was laid-off from a Chinese owned establishment or firm, I could no longer cry or express out my deep sadness because I have to move on and think positive. I know that there are still career opportunities for me. But sometimes, I asked myself, “What is the real score for a real compensation?”
