Four-day work week opposed

CEBU, Philippines - Government officials in Negros Occidental and businessmen in Iloilo City yesterday aired their objection to the Four-Day Work Week Act of 2011, which was proposed in Congress by Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo.

Castelo has pushed for the adoption of a 10-hour four-day work week in both the private and public sectors to save on costs and give workers more time for themselves and their families. This means that workers will work 10 hours a day, from Monday to Thursday only.

The congressman explained that it will not change the traditional 40 hours of work every week or cut back on services or productivity. Instead, the 10/4 formula could mean a weekly savings of at least 20 percent in expenses for both employers and workers.

This could also serve as a “poverty alleviation” program, citing that Metro Manila workers could save in their transport fare, food, and other work-related expenses, said Castelo, adding that the scheme could translate to weekly savings amounting to at least P20 billion for the more than 20 million private-sector workers and 1.5 million state employees.

Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. disagreed, saying that the Castelo proposal is counter-productive and would only make Filipinos lazier. “We should increase our output, not decrease it. People in other countries are working hard, we Filipinos are hardly working. This (proposal) may only result in an increase in our population,” he said.

The governor said the proposal is disadvantageous to those who are earning on a daily basis. Instead of reducing the number of working days, Filipinos should increase their output because the Philippines is already left behind by other countries in terms of progress and development, he said.

Negros Occidental Provincial Administrator Enrique Pinongan, for his part, said the additional two hours per day will make workers tired and would just be unproductive for the rest of the extended work hours. He added that this “holiday economics” would, in the long run, make Filipinos spend more because usually they go out to the malls during holidays or free days.

The Iloilo Business Club (IBC) has yet to come up with its official stand on the House resolution, but its executive director, Leah Lara, said, “For now, we’re not in favor of it. There are a lot of things that should be considered.”

For one, Lara said legislators should look into the uniqueness of every industry. For the manufacturing sector, it usually calendars activities for the whole year. “So their production would be greatly affected if ever the four-day work week would be in effect,” she said.

Industries like BPO (business process outsourcing) will also be hit since they operate on a 24/7 basis and so are the construction business, which usually pay workers on a daily basis. “There would be a great impact on their operations. Employers would be compelled to shell out for overtime pays,” Lara said.

The IBC executive said there must be a careful and thorough study on the perceived savings against the cost incurred by the employers. The business sector is not discounting the possibility that employees’ productivity might be affected by the extended hours of work, said Lara.

Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said the proposal could be advantageous to companies who are affected by the financial crisis, so they could save on their work load, electricity and other expenses. - THE FREEMAN