A coffee shop in Angono, Rizal, denied claims that it refuses to hire pregnant people.
La Brewha Cafe, on Thursday, April 10, addressed accusations of being “discriminatory” due to a job post that reportedly prohibited pregnant and “about to be pregnant” individuals from applying to them.
The post has since been deleted from its Facebook page, but some Reddit users managed to save screengrabs, allegedly including the comments section where the owner snarkily responded to some Filipinos.
The job post allegedly reads:
Hiring
part-time only
2 [two] girls
at least 5’2 height
with experience
BAWAL BUNTIS AT MABUBUNTIS PA LANG, PLEASE LANG.. (laughing-with-tears emoji)
submit your resume at La Brewha Cafe 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday to Sunday, look for Ms. Elle
Squammy cafe owner defending her discriminative hiring practices dahil nanakawan siya ng buntis na staff
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The preference allegedly stemmed from the management’s plan to fill the shoes of two pregnant staff, who had been frequently absent due to their conditions.
The management also said they had added their day off instead of removing the staff from their position.
“Need ko ng part-time na HINDI BUNTIS dahil buntis na [‘yung] reason bakit nag-hi-hiring ako..” part of a now-deleted post reads from the cafe’s Facebook page.
“NAG-POST AKO NG HIRING, HINDI KO PA ALAM NA NINANAKAWAN AKO NG ISA SA BUNTIS NA INIINGATAN KO PA MAKUNAN O MAPAGOD SA TRABAHO,” the management said.
It added that the owner posted about the hiring on April 5. By April 8, the owner had learned that one of their pregnant staff had stolen from them.
The management said it happened despite the particular staff being regularized, fed, having a salary increase, and being able to go to La Union.
Comment
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“AND WALA [AKO] SINABI NA AYOKO NG BUNTIS KASI MAGNANAKAW,” the owner reportedly said.
Statement
On April 10, the La Brewha Cafe released a statement denying accusations from online users that it was discriminatory against hiring pregnant individuals.
“An allegation of theft has been brought against an employee, and we want to clarify that this matter is currently under legal action,” it said, adding that the employee is no longer working for them.
“Additionally, we understand there have been concerns regarding how pregnant employees are treated within our organization. We want to be absolutely clear: we do not discriminate against pregnant individuals,” the cafe said.
“If any comments or actions were perceived otherwise, we deeply apologize. That was never our intent,” it added.
“This has been an emotional time for our business, especially our owner, and we recognize that emotions may have influenced how things were communicated,” the cafe said.
“We take full responsibility for any misinterpretation and are committed to learning and growing from this. To our community: thank you for holding us accountable and helping us be better. Your voices matter, and we’re listening,” it continued.
What laws say
The Labor Code of the Philippines specifically prohibits employers from discharging women from their jobs because of their pregnancy, including when they are on leave or in confinement because of their condition.
It is also unlawful for the employer to discharge or refuse the admission of such a woman upon returning to her work for fear that she may be pregnant again.
The Magna Carta for Women also states that women have the “right to decent work.”
“Decent work involves opportunities for work that are productive and fairly remunerative as family living wage, security in the workplace, and social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organize, participate in the decisions that affect their lives, and equality of opportunity and treatment for all women and men,” it said.
The law also said that the state shall further ensure “support services that will enable women to balance their family obligations and work responsibilities including, but not limited to, the establishment of day care centers and breast-feeding stations at the workplace, and providing maternity leave pursuant to the Labor Code and other pertinent laws.”
It also states that “discrimination against women is prohibited.”
“Public and private entities and individuals found to have committed discrimination against women shall be subject to the sanctions provided in Section 41 hereof. Violations of other rights of women shall be subject to sanctions under pertinent laws and regulations,” the Magna Carta said.
