Earlier in the news, we showed you the UDP and most of the independent senators walking out of today's meeting. But before that, in the morning, an important bill was brought back to the Senate. That is the Occupational Safety and Health Bill. Earlier this year, when it was first brought down, the debate was stopped abruptly-following permission from the President-so that the concerns could be properly ventilated and addressed.
We also told you that those meetings with public officers from the Ministry of Labor weren't so fruitful. Today in the Senate, UDP Senator Patrick Faber described them as a "waste of time."
However, some of the kinks were sorted, including the issue that Faber had brought up last time: the fact that the OSH Bill excluded domestic workers. Here is a snippet of today's debate:
Patrick Faber, UDP Senator
"Red and Blue and Independent felt that the sessions initially held with the experts were a waste of our time and effort."
"Those public servants who came in that first session, Madam President, were inadequate. In fact, they admitted that to us when they came here."
"We sat here three hours for them to tell us all that you have recommended. We can't tell you anything and we just want to sit down here and listen."
"We can't give you any kind of expert testimony because the minister is out of the country."
"The people who will imagine the ministry officials who will run with the OSH bill and put the law into effect at all its stages, the inspectorate and everything, Madam President, those people sat before us and told us that, hey, we can't answer you all, we don't know. We have no authority to answer you."
Glenfield Dennison, Union Senator
"What was the complete omission of domestic workers has been rectified in section three of the, on clause three of the bill."
"I don't particularly like this formulation, but I trust, I trust that it is a better formulation than what we had before."
"And clause three, two, because I must make specific reference to the bill when I'm debating, says that the act shall apply to domestic workers, but subject to such limitations, safeguards and procedures as may be prescribed, having regard to the constitutional privacy rights within private residence."
"I think, Madam President, when we are in the realm of competing rights, it's very important to appreciate that we didn't simply rule out domestic workers as having the benefit of the OSH."
"But I hope that the domestic employers, those who are privileged enough to have domestic workers in their employ, I understand some people in the front bench may have entire staff working in their households. Right, Senator Montejo?"
"But it's important that we don't rule out those categories of people from the protection of the OSH while still ensuring that the sweeping powers that we give to an inspector or to an inspector doesn't infringe on the privacy rights of homeowners."
The bill was passed by the Senate.
