DOLE bans employment of minors in farm jobs
>> Saturday, February 18, 2017
By Patrick T. Rillorta
BAGUIO
CITY -- The Department of Labor and Employment has broadened the scope of the
ban on the employment of minors in agriculture and livestock farming to prevent
young people from exposure to hazardous work conditions.
Department Order No. 149-A by Labor Secretary
Silvestre Bello III, now classifies farm rearing and related farming activities as hazardous
and among the worst forms of child labor including plant propagation activities
that involve grafting, budding and marcotting, and tending activities that
involve weeding of soil.
OIC
Regional Director Exequiel Ronia A. Guzman said the new order also reinforced
the existing ban on the employment of minors in farm activities as clearing of
land, plowing, harrowing, irrigating, constructing paddy dike and cutting.
Also
declared as hazardous are handling, spraying and application of harmful
fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and other toxic chemicals; and loading and
carrying of heavy loads.
Guzman
added that minors are also not allowed in harvesting activities that involve
cutting and picking, spreading for drying, hauling, topping, tumbling, tuxying,
stripping, burning of field, sticking and classifying, threshing, loading and
carting of produce.
“In
post-harvest, minors may not be employed in de-husking, scooping, sacking of
products, charcoal making, hauling of products as led by animal guide, loading
and unloading of packed farm products, coconut kilning and de-meating from
shell or core, sealing and carting of produce for warehousing and transport to
market and all ancillary work such as clearing, cleaning, and recycling of farm
waste in its preparation as animal food and other related processes” the
director said.
In
livestock farming, work and related activities that are declared hazardous to
minors are rearing activities that involve collecting, loading, unloading and
transporting of feeds, maintenance and care of large and/or dangerous animals,
collecting and disposal of dead animals, animal manure and other waste
materials, administering of vaccines and vitamins, and handling of
disinfectants used for cleaning animal pens/enclosures or for disinfecting
animals.
In
harvesting activities, work and activities that involve catching or collecting,
ranching, and milking in preparation for warehousing or transport to market,
and post-harvest activities including the packaging and processing of dairy and
other animal by-products in preparation for warehousing and transport to
market; and working in slaughterhouses or abattoirs.
In
a statement issued by Secretary Bello, he said child workers are compelled to
help augment their families’ meager income by engaging in hazardous work and
that is the reason the Labor Department will strictly monitor and assess
occupational safety and health standards related to child labor.
The
Labor Secretary also said the best interest of children is the paramount
consideration to ensure that their employment does not endanger their life,
safety, health and morals, nor impair their normal development.
DO
149-A, series of 2017 was issued last Jan. 16, is an amendment to Department
Order no. 149, series of 2016 on “Guidelines in Assessing and Determining
Hazardous Work in the Employment of Persons below 18 years of age” particularly
Section 6 – B “on Hazardous Work and Activities”, subsection (i) Farmers and
Other Plant Growers and (ii) Animal Producers.
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