by Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star) – Mar 6, 2019
MANILA, Philippines — Bus drivers and conductors will receive a fixed salary starting Saturday, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III announced yesterday.
“They will be like regular employees,” Bello said.
“When drivers are on a commission basis, they drive recklessly… even when they are sleepy. They get as many passengers, so they can get big commissions. That is dangerous,” he added.
In Metro Manila, bus drivers figure in accidents when racing against each other to pick up passengers.
They also linger for a long time at various stops, blocking traffic on major thoroughfares, because their day’s pay depends on the number of passengers they pick up.
Bus firms were ordered to provide a part-fixed, part-productivity scheme for drivers and conductors in place of the “boundary” scheme under an order of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and a memorandum of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) issued in 2012.
Bus companies questioned the order before the Supreme Court. Last year, the high tribunal junked with finality the petition of bus operators to nullify the order.
Under the new compensation scheme, bus drivers and conductors are entitled to a salary not lower than the minimum wage in their respective regions as well as wage-related benefits, such as night shift differential, service incentive leave, 13th month pay, holiday and overtime pay and premium pay.
Bello said bus drivers should also receive performance incentives based on revenue, ridership, safety, specific conditions of routes and other relevant parameters.
The National Wages and Productivity Commission recently issued the guidelines in the implementation of the pay scheme.
The DOLE warned bus companies that their franchise would be revoked or cancelled if they do not comply with the wage order.
The LTFRB requires bus companies to present a labor standard certificate from the DOLE for the issuance of a franchise.
World Day for Safety and Health at Work
“Safety and health at work every day!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations against serious violations of Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.
Accept National Unity Government
(NUG) of Myanmar.
Reject Military!
#WearMask #WashHands #Distancing #TakePicturesVideos
Monthly Observances:
March – Women’s Role in History Month
April – Month of Planet Earth
Weekly Observances:
Last Week of March: Protection and Gender Fair Treatment of the Girl Child Week
Last Week of April – World Immunization Week
Daily Observances:
Mar 25 – International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transallantic Slave Trade
Mar 27– Earth Hour
Apr 21 – Civil Service Day
Apr 22 – World Earth Day
Apr 28 – World Day for Safety and Health at Work
