mother's liability

Let me clarify this early in the blog that this is a running commentary on mostly Philippine law through the eyes of a practicing female lawyer. The title is purely homage to my mythological roots and belief in exemplars.

We're in the zeroes and equal-opportunity employment is a truism. Not.

My niece is a single mom. She has a beautiful, bouncing baby girl who she has to hide from all her work-related aquaintances because she may risk getting fired. I can give you a litany of the laws the organization is breaking with this kind of policy. And l know it's an employer's job market.

The reality is, there really is no way to police discrimination in hiring. It is management prerogative. And those who are discriminated against rarely have the means and inclination to complain. Not to mention the difficulty in proving these practices. Those who have less in life should have more in law. True, but it is simply easier said than done.

Especially in this economic climate. I have a niece-in-law (pardon all the convoluted familial relations, it's a Filipino quirk) who works as a contractual in a factory. Where her pay reflects deductions for taxes, social security, etc. when she doesn't have any tax identification number, social security number, etc. She has to pretend to be a single woman too despite her darling son and daughter.

In six months, she has to change her name and reapply for the same job. Just like most of the other workers. It's such a tragic farce. You can't honestly believe this can go on without management's knowledge. And yes, life for the common people is this difficult.

I have half a mind to have a tet a tet with the company's owner. He happens to be my classmate in my executive track MBA. But my hands are tied. These people are content with their lot. I cannot complain for them since they voice no complaints. The best I can do is tell my nephew that in the event she ever gets in trouble, she has leverage like she wouldn't believe. I trust them enough not to abuse that latent power.