After high heels, sitting also to come under scrutiny by DOLE

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has signed a Department Order that prohibits employers from forcing their workers to wear high heels. The order will be scheduled for publishing soon and will be effective 15 days after publication. Bello said the order was issued to address long-standing concerns from mall workers, particularly sales ladies who are required to wear high heels while working for 8 hours or more. According to the order, no worker will be forced to wear shoes with heels more than 1 inch in height. Only 1-inch shoes that are wedge types will be allowed. Furthermore, employers will also be required to give employees 15-minutes breaks after 2 hours of standing. The Department of Labor and Employment will also study the health hazards of working for industries that require workers to sit for long periods of time like in Business Process Outsourcing companies and will issue the necessary regulations.