DOLE cites SMC for putting people first amid the pandemic

 

For hiring and regularizing some 25,000 former workers of its third-party providers, strict compliance with labor laws, and a commitment to help over 70,000 employees in its nationwide network throughout the pandemic, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) was given a special recognition by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) as an exemplary Filipino company, with malasakit for its own people.

DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III cited SMC for its continuous and sincere efforts to help Filipino employees and workers, particularly throughout the difficult pandemic period, even as the economy and business have yet to fully recover.

In particular, DOLE extolled SMC’s successful completion of its Business Reintegration program--where SMC ended its service agreements with third-party providers of non-core, auxillary operations, and enabled some 25,000 workers to become regular employees with full benefits under its newly-established Operations, Maintenance, and Management (OMM) companies.

DOLE also cited SMC for institutionalizing its Group-wide Labor Laws Compliance System, to ensure and strengthen labor compliance not just among its business, but also from among its contractors, sub-contractors, suppliers, and business partners.

SMC’s numerous pandemic response efforts, aimed at helping its employees all over the country cope with the many impacts of COVID-19, also got the Labor Department’s nod.

Apart from extending various economic assistance programs and putting in place effective health and safety protocols at all its facilities and offices, SMC also invested to put up its own RT-PCR testing laboratory to ensure continuous COVID-19 surveillance testing of its employees.

It also successfully implementation of its nationwide “Ligtas Lahat” employee vaccination program, which saw the company hire over 100 medical professionals, who were deployed not only to employee vaccination sites nationwide, but more significantly, to vaccination centers of various local government units (LGUs), to help with the nationwide vaccination drive.

By January 2022, over 97% of SMC’s target 70,000 individuals were fully vaccinated, with booster administration also beginning in December 2021.

“We are very grateful to DOLE Sec. Sylvestre Bello III for recognizing SMC’s efforts to protect and help our workers and employees. Whether it is investing in major projects that will help our country and boost our economy; helping our communities and disadvantaged sectors, looking after the environment, or taking care of our own employees-- San Miguel will always do its part to help in nation-building,” SMC president Ramon S. Ang said.

Ang added that the company’s Business Reintegration program, which had been ongoing even before the pandemic, is a clear manifestation of SMC’s sincere efforts and determination to use its businesses as platforms for positive change and progress for many Filipinos.

Its strict adherence to labor laws, and continuous efforts to ensure compliance not only among its own companies but also from those in its network, is also a manifestation of the company’s respect for the rights of all workers, and the company’s long-standing core value of ‘malasakit’, he said.

Meanwhile, the company’s COVID-19 response efforts for its employees, is just part of the company’s much-larger effort to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the country and Filipinos.

Since the first lockdown was announced in March 2020, and through much of the health crisis which persists to this day, SMC has been lauded by government and the public in general for its continuous efforts--which included implementing the largest food donation program in its history, donating RT-PCR testing machines and other medical equipment and supplies for the country’s medical front-liners, and continuing all its major investments in big-ticket projects to ensure workers will keep their jobs,

“For SMC, it is not only about profits. We also measure success by how many lives we are impacting in a positive way, whether through our new developments, investments, expansion programs, or environmental and social initiatives,” Ang said.

“For many decades now, ‘malasakit’ has been our company’s core value. It is ingrained in the minds and hearts of our employees, because our company always strives to show them ‘malasakit’. Our Business Reintegration program, labor law compliance, and pandemic efforts, are all ways that we live this value. We are committed to continue making a positive, sustainable, and lasting difference to the lives of our fellow Filipinos.” Ang added.