AURORA Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara yesterday urged the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to conduct more inspections of business companies in the country, especially in Metro Manila,  of which, he said, one out of five violate the country’s labor laws.

Angara said he was certain that many firms normally claim losses or the high cost of production as among the reasons why they fail to comply with the provisions of some labor statutes, especially those related to wage increases.

The congressman cited the P22-a-day cost-of-living allowance (COLA) granted by the Metro Manila wage board on Monday which he said “will surely be violated” by at least one in five companies.

He said of the 35,391 companies visited by labor inspectors last year, about 19 percent were found to be shortchanging their minimum wage workers of their mandated salaries.

“This shows that issuing wage orders is just half of the work. The other half is to see to it that the orders are followed. The proof is not in the issuance of the order but in its compliance. Wage orders must find their way not into the newspapers but inside pay envelopes,” the lawmaker said.

Angara explained that fielding more labor inspectors is one way of insuring wage compliance by companies because such personnel are experienced in making on-site corrections of minimum pay violations.