TUCP supports staggered work time proposed by MMDA

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) declared support to the proposal of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to implement a staggered work time schedule for government and private employees in Metro Manila.

TUCP said that the proposed measure would save workers and the employers billions of pesos worth of lost fuel, productivity, and time.

The MMDA experiment seeks to move the working schedule of government employees from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. while those in the private sector would report to work from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. The proposal intends to decongest and reduce volume of vehicular traffic by some 20% to 30%

The TUCP said that the experiment of the MMDA might just work and would benefit workers who are forced to waste at least three hours a day on the road due to traffic congestion.

TUCP also said that in the regular working hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. workers end up spending more time waiting for a ride and enduring long hours of traffic thereafter. “They lose valuable time that they can spend with their families or much needed recreation,” TUCP said.

“We are hopeful that Bayani’s new experiment will reduce the time spent by Metro Manila workers on the road and thus enable them to spend more time with their families especially this Christmas season,” TUCP said.

TUCP also added that many workers will welcome the proposal as this will give them more time of sleep and will enable them to do some other chores in their homes before they report to work.