A resolution filed at the House of Representatives seeks to investigate in aid of legislation the alleged labor malpractices of Shopee Express.
House Resolution 1718, authored by Rep. Lex Anthony Colada of AAMBIS-OWA party-list group, asked the House committee on labor and employment to look into the alleged labor malpractices committed by SPX, a subsidiary of Sea Limited.
The resolution cited instances in the past years where Shopee workers protested the alleged poor working conditions and labor violations of the company.
Colada in the resolution noted that in 2021, SPX drivers staged a protest against the company because of delays in the payment of compensation and salaries for more than a year, as well as the lack of social and welfare benefits, including accident and health insurance.
Similarly, Shopee and PSX in 2022 “terminated the services of a significant number of its employees despite the company’s claim of business expansion in the Philippines, including the unilateral termination of the services of its SPX drivers.”
Colada in HR 1718 also mentioned that SPX has been preventing the unionization and organization of its workers by claiming that these personnel are not actual employees of Shopee and SPX.
“There has been an alarming increase in the number of labor cases related to and against SPX in the past and current year, including cases that involve labor-only contracting and union busting,” the resolution read.
“There is a need to further look into the economic realities of employment of these affected SPX drivers to have a comprehensive assessment of the nature of their work in e-commerce related industries,” it added.
In seeking a congressional investigation, Colada also urged the House to conduct an inquiry into Shopee Philippines’ ownership and its compliance with the Anti-Dummy law and other relevant laws.
He cited in the resolution the need for Congress to invite Shopee Philippines chairperson and major stockholder Jan Frederick Chiong when the deliberation on the resolution starts.