Labor chief abolishes boundary system for bus drivers

Malacaang may have lost the trust and support of the jeepney drivers on issues concerning the spate of oil price hikes, but it has certainly embarked on a potential friendship with the bus drivers and conductors who now stand to receive not just a fixed salary but also daily perks as incentive.

Deputy presidential spokesman Abigail Valte yesterday announced that Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz ordered the abolition of the bus boundary system for drivers in a bid to improve their incomes.

Baldoz issued Department Order 118-12 that abolishes the system of paying bus drivers and conductors on a commission basis. Instead, bus drivers and conductors are to be placed on a part-fixed and part performance-based wage system.

The fixed component of their earnings at a minimum shall meet the minimum wage and other statutory wage-related benefits, while an incentive system, based on safety performance, business performance and other related parameters is also hereby adopted.

The new system went into effect in Metro Manila yesterday, while it will go into effect in the rest of the country by July 2012, Valte said.

Baldoz issued Department Order 118-12 that abolishes the system of paying the bus drivers and the conductors on a commission basis, according to Valte in a statement during the regular press briefing at Malacaang.

Instead, the bus drivers and the conductors are to be placed on a part-fixed and part performance-based wage system, Valte said.

The fixed component of their earnings at a minimum shall meet the minimum wage and other statutory wage-related benefits, while an incentive system based on safety performance, business performance and other related parameters is also hereby adopted, Valte stressed.

We hope that this new policy will address the long-standing concern of bus drivers, conductors and passengers alike. We believe that this system is fairer to the bus drivers because it guarantees them a better wage. It should also improve traffic discipline which will redound to the benefit of the commuters and motorists, Valte said.

According to Valte, the Aquino government hopes that the new policy will address the long-standing concern of the bus drivers, conductors and passengers alike.

We believe that this system is fairer to the bus drivers because it guarantees them a better wage. It should also improve traffic discipline, which will redound to the benefit of the commuters and motorists, she said. –Fernan J. Angeles, DAily Tribune