Rules on use of high heels in workplace out soon: DOLE

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) (PNA Photo)

MANILA — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will soon release an order regulating the use of high-heeled shoes by female employees in their workplaces.

In a statement Tuesday, DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III is expecting the technical working group (TWG), which was created under Administrative Order No. 368, to formulate measures to regulate the wearing of women’s high-heeled shoes in the workplace.

Likewise, the directive mandates the TWG to craft systems to enforce Article 132 of the Labor Code to “establish standards that will ensure the safety and health of women employees.”

The working group is chaired by Undersecretary Dominador Say, with Bureau of Working Conditions Director Teresita Cucueco and Occupational Safety and Health Center Executive Director Noel Binag as members.

They are also tasked to take in inputs from the other offices and attached agencies of DOLE.

The law empowers the DOLE chief to require any employer to “provide seats proper for women and permit them to use such seats when they are free from work and during working hours, provided they can perform their duties in this position without detriment to efficiency.”

The move comes following complaints that salesladies in department stores and similar establishments across the country are made to wear high heels while standing for long hours as part of their work.

According to Bello, such requirement is detrimental to the health of the employees.

A labor group has pushed for the Labor Department to look into the matter.