Labor unions and strikes: Employers’ nightmare?

Striking workers with raised placards, shouting for increased wages and benefits – this could be the worst scenario that a business owner or employer would not want to see.  These images cause many employers to be afraid.  To them, this could mean lawsuits, suspension of business operations, loss of profits, or even closure of business.  This could be their biggest nightmare.

Why do most employers shy away from the idea of unions, strikes, collective bargaining and related concepts?  It is because they have a mistaken notion about these topics.  They think of a union as troublesome, a nuisance which will only lead to the failure of their businesses.  They also often associate a strike with violence as if it were some sort of a mutiny or an armed attack.  What employers fail to see is that forming unions and participating in strikes are only some ways by which employees exercise their legal right to express their sentiments about their working conditions.  If only employers would listen well, they could constructively see it as a form of an evaluation on how they are running their businesses.  If people are given their correct wages, as well as fair and reasonable working conditions, they will not go on strike.  And there would not be a need to form unions, which are precisely meant for negotiating or bargaining for terms and conditions of work.  Simply put, if they are satisfied and happy, they will not complain. Read more

Philippine labor laws that employers must know

Knowing laws on labor and employment is vital to one’s business because a minor violation could lead you to big trouble. Most employers, especially those who do not have legal counsel, violate these laws usually not because they intend to, but because of sheer ignorance. Unfortunately, ignorance of the law does not excuse them from complying with it. Companies have closed shop after their employees slapped them with labor suits which ended up with these companies paying huge amounts of money representing unpaid wages or benefits and damages. To avoid being in the same situation, the following are relevant laws which you should always bear in mind as you go about your business and deal with your employees: Read more