Photo from Philippine Star |
The Partido Manggagawa (PM) today declared
its opposition to the proposed bill on compressed workweek as it called the
proposal a “scheme to overwork and underpay workers.” Instead, PM is calling
for legislating a shorter work day.
Members of PM joined the labor group
Sentro in a picket at the Senate this morning to coincide with a hearing on
proposed bill. The bill providing for a compressed workweek passed the House of
Representatives on third and final reading last August 24.
“Legislating the compressed workweek
will lead to the derogation if not destruction of the historic eight-hour work
day. Instead of lengthening the working day, it should be shortened without
lost of pay for workers. The compressed workweek will lead to health and safety
issues while shortening the working day will vastly improve work-life balance,”
insisted Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.
Also being heard today at the Senate are
proposals for 15 minute breaks and service charge in the hotel industry.
Members of PM ans Sentro chanted “Workers need a break, We are not robots,” “No
to compressed work, Yes to 8-hour law,” “Compressed workweek is hazardous to our
health.”
Magtubo added that “Imagine workers
laboring for 12 hours a day without overtime and travelling hours more through
traffic. This is a recipe for killing workers through overwork and stress.”
He added that “Millions of workers
already work 12 hours day because they avail of overtime as a way of augmenting
their meager daily wages which are not enough to sustain their families. The
compressed workweek will legalize this epidemic of overwork but worsen it by
taking away overtime pay. The compressed workweek is a ploy to cheapen salaries,
similar to the regionalization of wages.”
“In the exceptional cases where workers
find that flexible work arrangements like flexi-time or compressed workweek is
advantageous to them, there are already rules that allow for that on the
condition that workers are consulted and agree to it. These must remain exceptions
to the rule and the norm should be that the workday is eight hours and work
beyond must be paid overtime,” Magtubo elaborated.
September 13, 2017
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