Hanjin Told to Build Hospital for Workers
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
A Philippine Senator wants Hanjin Heavy Industries to improve working conditions for thousands of Filipinos working at its shipyard in Subic Bay Freeport Zone, northwest of Manila.
Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, chairman of the Senate committee on labor and employment said he will recommend that Hanjin build a hospital inside its complex to attend to the medical needs of the Filipino workers.
``(Hanjin) said they have an agreement with a hospital, but it's 25 kilometers away. If it's a matter of life and death, the patient will die. I visited Hanjin's clinic in Subic and they only have two doctors. How can they meet the medical needs of our workers? I am concerned about the safety and welfare of our workers,'' Estrada said after the Senate hearing in Manila last Feb. 24. The Korea Times obtained the transcripts of the senator's remarks from his office.
The Senate committee last month conducted three hearings to investigate the high rate of fatalities at the Hanjin shipyard construction site since 2006. One of the issues raised was the lack of doctors and health services for the 18,000-20,000 workers at the site.
At the hearing, one injured laborer testified that he was pinned down by a 20-ton steel plate for 10 minutes before he was rescued. He was then brought to the Hanjin clinic, but no doctor was available.
Estrada denounced the poor working conditions, saying that Hanjin should provide better health services and improve all defective safety installations at the site.
However, the senator seemed concerned that imposing tough conditions on Hanjin might affect the jobs of Filipino workers. ``I just want to make it clear that I do not want our workers to lose their jobs. If I come out with a committee report to blacklist them (Hanjin) or suspend their activities even temporarily, many of our Filipino workers will be losing their jobs,'' Estrada said.
The Senate committee is still in the process of finalizing a report that would contain recommendations to improve working conditions for Filipino laborers.