GMA, son want annual bonuses for workers

MANILA, Philippines – Former President and now Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Arroyo and her son, Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado ‘Dato’ Macapagal Arroyo, are pushing for a new law that could prove very popular to workers in the private sector.

House Bill 1218 seeks to institutionalize the granting of an annual productivity incentive to all workers in private companies.

The younger Arroyo said giving a Productivity Bonus for labor will not only serve as additional income “but will work as an incentive to promote greater productivity.”

The Arroyos noted that labor and management relations are currently characterized as “confrontational” when discussing and settling basic and significant issues affecting wages and benefits as well as conditions of work.

“As a result, the productivity expected both from labor and management suffers, thereby lessening their ability to compete and survive as one cohesive entity,” the Arroyos said.

Dato said giving out annual bonuses satisfies a worker’s right to an improved life as well as management’s right to a reasonable return on their investment.

The Arroyos also filed HB 4606, which intends to protect workers and their families from the hazards of working in agricultural sites.

They cited a study published by the Institute for Labor Studies showing that pesticides popularly used in the Philippines have already been banned or severely restricted in other countries like the United
States.

Filipino farmers, the Arroyos noted, do not have enough knowledge on the consequences of mishandling farm chemicals which make them and their families prone to the negative effects of such chemicals.

“Acute pesticide poisoning has been traced to unsafe practices in the handling, storing and disposal of pesticides. Our proposal seeks to address this by educating our farmers to be extra careful when dealing with such substances,” the younger Arroyo added. –abs-cbnNEWS.com