Solons, labor split on 4-day work week

LAWMAKERS and three labor groups on Monday were divided on the four-day work week scheme for government employees in Metro Manila to address the worsening traffic situation there.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines said the plan could save energy and ease traffic in the metropolis, but the group Kilusang Mayo Uno said it would be bad for the workers.

The Partido ng Manggagawa said it had no problems with the plan as long as the workers’ rights were protected, while the Metro Manila Development Authority had earlier welcomed it.

The Civil Service Commission had said the government offices in Metro Manila could implement a Monday-to-Thursday or a Tuesday-to-Friday work schedule, from eight am to 7 pm, with an hour off for the lunch break.

The commission said the plan could be implemented next week, but the government offices must meet some requirements before those could implement the new scheme.

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. said the Civil Service Commission’s optional policy for government offices would be counter-productive.

“I am not in favor it,” Belmonte said.

He said the government should be able to find a solution to the worsening traffic situation without public service being made to suffer.

Barzaga agreed.

“I do not agree with the four day a week work. Public service would suffer,” Barzaga said.

Instead, he said, “I suggest we ban private vehicles at Edsa during rush hours.”

But Quezon City Rep. Bolet Banal and Abakada party-list Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz said the four-day work week should be given a chance.

“This is an experiment. It will help us not only with the traffic but also as a guide on the performance and efficiency of government workers,” De la Cruz said.

Said Banal: “As it is, it seems that five days is not enough, but let us hear the proponents out and give them a chance to prove that the proposed four-day work week can alleviate the traffic woes of the metropolis.”

1-BAP party-list Rep. Silvestre Bello III said the shortened number of days for government employees should not affect in any way the quality of service that government offices should be providing to the public.

“Somebody will have to assure the public that this will ease traffic but not at the expense of public service,” Bello said.

The TUCP said the employers should first consult their workers before implementing the four-day plan. It said the four-day work week had advantages and disadvantages, but it could not be implemented in some industries or sectors.

The KMU said increasing the work hours to 11 from eight would affect the workers’ health and violate their rights. It also raised the dangers the plan would pose to those workers who are paid on a daily basis and subject to the no work, no pay policy.

“Workers fought for the right to an eight-hour work day to protect their health. The four-day work week is a direct attack on this hard-won victory of the international works’ movement and shows how anti-worker this government is,” group chairman Elmer Labog said. - By Maricel Cruz, Vito Barcelo and Joel E. Zurbano /  Manila Standard Today

4-day work week draws mixed views

FOUR-DAY WORK WEEK – A Manila City Hall employee checks his daily time record card on September 29, morning. The Civil Service Commission earlier approved a four-day work week which government offices in Metro Manila can implement in a bid to address worsening traffic congestion. (Valeria Sorrenti)[/caption]

A proposal from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to implement a four-day work week in government offices to allow their employees to cope with the heavy traffic in Metro Manila has drawn mixed reaction from labor groups in the private sector.

The militant labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) opposed the policy, saying it could significantly reduce the income of workers who are paid on a “no work, no pay” basis.

However, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said it supports the shortened work-week since it will allow government employees to “save energy and ease traffic congestion” in the National Capital Region (NCR).

“The four-day work week is a direct attack on this hard-won victory of the international workers’ movement and shows how anti-worker this government is,” KMU Chairperson Elmer Labog said.

Labog said this could also have a negative impact on the health of workers since they will be required to work for more than eight hours.

Under the compressed work week, government offices will allow their employees to work for only four days a week in exchange for slightly longer working hours.

Labog also expressed apprehension the proposal may also pave the way towards its adoption in the private sector, where it could be abused by some unscrupulous employer to cut labor costs.

TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay, however, said the affected worker should be consulted before the government implements the four-day work week to ensure it will not affect their existing benefits.

TUCP also said the measure should be implemented on a limited scale since it is not applicable in “some industries or sectors.” - by Samuel Medenilla Manila Bulletin

TUCP conditionally supports 4-day work week scheme

The four-day work week is believed to ease traffic congestion in the metro

MANILA, Philippines - Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa) on Monday expressed support to the plan of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) allowing government agencies to implement a four-day work week scheme.

The group, however, pointed out that there would be no diminution of salary and reduction of benefits and public sector workers’ are consulted first they should ever adopt it.

“There are pros and cons to the compressed work week scheme aimed at saving electricity, reducing traffic congestion and minimizing stress of workers. So consultations and social dialogue with public sector worker (are an) important factor before implementing the scheme to know the sentiments of the workers,” TUCP-Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said.

“The four-day work week should not affect salary and benefits of workers. This is non-negotiable of course,” Tanjusay added.

He noted that health of workers working for 10 hours a day is one of the adverse effects of the scheme to government employees, compromising the quality of service.

Tanjusay said the new work scheme may also affect both their health and their productivity due to stress caused by going home late at night and waking up early.

On the other hand, the scheme may motivate workers to be more productive because of an extra quality day with family, friends or an activity away from work.

The scheme may also cut commuting expenses and allows people to do errands they are unable to do during regular work days, Tanjusay said.

He said the scheme can reduce energy consumption and help ease traffic congestion by minimizing the volume of working people. - By Dennis Carcamo (philstar.com)

4-day work week opposed

A PROPOSAL to implement a four-day work week in government offices in Metro Manila was shot down Monday by a militant labor group, saying the scheme will only create problems for workers.

Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said the scheme, which increases the daily working hours from eight to 10, will affect employees' health and violate their rights.

It is also unfavorable to workers who are paid on a daily basis and are subject to a "no work, no pay" policy, the group said.

"Unlike their monthly counterparts, daily paid workers are paid on actual days rendered. So the possibility is that they would be paid based on the number of days actually worked and not by the number of man hours spent," said KMU chairperson Elmer Labor in a text message to Sun.Star.

When applied to private sector workers, some employers may take advantage of the opportunity to cut workers’ wages further, according to KMU.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said it will support the shorter work week provided employers will consult workers before implementation and there is no dimunition of salary and benefits.

"It has advantages and disadvantages and it cannot be implemented in some industries or sectors such as manufacturing," said TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay.

The four-day work week is seen by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) as a tool to ease heavy traffic along Metro Manila's roads, enhance productivity and promote work-life balance among employees by increasing the number of workers' rest days and time for their families.

"Instead of addressing the causes of heavy traffic, the Aquino government is passing the burden of the problem to workers and ordinary Filipinos. Instead of improving mass transport system to reduce the volume of private vehicles plying the streets, it is implementing a scheme that's bad for workers' health," Labog said.

It would be up to government agencies to heed the CSC's recommendation as policemen, firemen and hospital staff are deemed excluded from the scheme because of their heavy interaction with the public. (Sunnex)By Virgil B. Lopez SunStar