Labor inspectors urge: Promote workplace compliance

Labor inspectors across Southeast Asia should work to make workplace compliance a shared value with employers rather than merely focusing on enforcing penalties, Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Francis Tolentino said Tuesday.

Speaking at the opening of the 15th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Labour Inspection Conference in Clark, Pampanga, Tolentino emphasized that the role of labor inspectors extends beyond identifying infractions.

“A good inspector does not only find violations,” Tolentino said. “He or she helps employers understand their duties, helps workers know their rights, and helps build a culture in which compliance is a shared value and not a burden.”

“Labor inspection is not merely enforcement. It is prevention. It is education. And it is partnership,” he added, acknowledging that while inspectors’ work is often quiet and difficult, it remains vital to maintaining safe and fair labor standards.

Tolentino pointed out that globalization and regional economic integration have created millions of jobs, but have also added layers of complexity to labor monitoring across complex supply chains.

“When work is spread among many tiers of contractors and subcontractors, it becomes harder to see who is working, under what conditions, and who is responsible when something goes wrong,” Tolentino said.

He also warned that unsafe working conditions, unpaid wages, excessive hours, child labor, and forced labor can persist within these hidden spaces.

Delegates and labor officials from ASEAN member states are participating in the conference to discuss common challenges and strategies for strengthening workplace inspection frameworks across the region.