Senate 4-day workweek bill to be filed today

The Senate is following the lead of the House of Representatives, which approved last week House Bill 6152, which seeks to increase working hours while shortening the work week to four days.

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development, Joel J. Villanueva, said he will be filing the senate version today, Aug. 29.

The bill authored by Mr. Villanueva calls for a compressed workweek arrangement where “the employee may opt to reduce the number of days dedicated to work, provided that the worker maintains the minimum number of rendered hours required. Compressed workweek arrangement will not only reduce cost of work transit, but also enable employees to allocate more time for other personal and social obligations, thus further encouraging work-life balance.”

The bill also limits work to 48 hours a week.

Furthermore, the bill allows “an employer to accommodate the uniqueness in the backgrounds and capacities of its employees without compromising their productivity. Workplace flexibility therefore allows both employer and employee to find a mutually beneficial arrangement of work that works best for both parties.”

Similar to the House Bill 6152, the Senate Bill amends Article 83 of the Labor Code of the Philippines, which stipulates that “the normal hours of work of any employee shall not exceed eight hours a day.” As for the House version, the implementation of the compressed workweek scheme is optional. The public hearing on the Senate version will begin on Sept. 13.

The chairman of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis, Jr. raised the possibility of business disruption should the legislation pass. He noted the difficulty of scheduling deliveries between enterprises that will opt to implement the shortened workweek and those that will adhere to the normal five-day workweek schedule.

Mr. Ortiz also said productivity may suffer as working for more than eight hours a day may be too much for some employees.

Mr. Ortiz said that his organization has been consulted regarding the matter and has made its objections clear. However, he is interested to study the new version of the bill to judge its feasibility.

The Chairman of the Federation of the Philippine Industries Jesus L. Arranza said in a telephone interview that the scheme might be counter-productive as it will entail a major behavioral change in workers accustomed to a five-day workweek. He suggests further dialogue between the lawmakers and the private sector before the scheme is fully implemented. “Planning without working is futile but working without planning is fatal,” he said.

In addition, the President of Employers Confederation of the Philippines Donald G. Dee said that he doubts “if many companies will support” the scheme.

“I really don’t understand the objective of this bill. It is bad for the health of the workers. It is disadvantageous for their family life and it will affect productivity,” he said. Mr. Dee also noted that the scheme will have no effect on businesses.

Senior Adviser for the American Chamber of Commerce John D. Forbes, on the other hand, declined to comment. “I will need to read the whole bill and consult with an expert before commenting,” he said. — Mario M. Banzon