DOLE backs 4-day work week, workers, employers oppose it

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has given its full backing, but organized labor and employers have rejected a proposed measure to shorten to four days the work weeks in commercial establishments nationwide.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said a shorter work week has proven to be beneficial for both employers and workers during the past global financial crisis and could bring more gains when it becomes mandatory.

“We adopted a so-called compressed work week during the financial crisis, but it was only voluntary at that time. But based on our assessment, employers were able to save on cost of operations,” Baldoz disclosed.

She explained that the proposed four-day work week would help workers reduce their expenses and also enable them to undertake other alternative sources of income during their daysoff.

She further noted that the working environment has changed due to the availability of modern technology that allows workers to perform their jobs without being physically present in the office.

Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo earlier proposed a four-day work week to cut expenditures for both employers and workers. Under his proposal, workers will still allot 40 hours of work for each week, logging in 10 instead of eight hours from Monday to Thursday.

However, the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) had expressed opposition to the proposal which they said could also cut down the earnings of daily-paid workers nationwide.

“This will only bring about a loss of income for many of our workers who are not paid when they do not report for work. There won’t be enough rest for workers either because they will be made to work for longer hours – which will cause a greater amount of physical stress,” KMU chair Elmer Labog said.

Labog added employers could no longer be stopped from forcing employees to work on weekends, a phenomenon which is already widespread at present if such proposal is implemented.

Labog said what workers want is the strict observation of the eight-hour work day and a significant wage increase as an immediate relief for workers’ families who have been suffering from low wages and high prices.

“We want the eight-hour work day strictly enforced. We also want a significant wage increase to be legislated, for we want immediate relief from rising prices and low wages – a relief that comes from the value that we create as toiling masses,” he said.

The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) also expressed their objection over the proposal that could make half of the year non-working days.

ECOP said the four-day work week would reduce productivity and hampers the local business potential to compete with foreign companies. –Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star)