10 firms seek flexible work hours for workers
CEBU CITY, Philippines — At least 10 establishments in Cebu City, Mandaue City, and Lapu-Lapu City have sought the assistance of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-7) in implementing a flexible work hours arrangement to their workers.
These establishments cited suffering losses in their businesses as the reason for their decision to shift to this work hours arrangement for their workers.
They said that the losses were incurred after the government implemented a temporary travel ban to countries that had positive cases of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Flexible work hours
Luchel Taniza, DOLE-7 information officer, said that under a flexible work hour (arrangement), companies might reduce the number of working days of their workers, but the work hours should not fall short to 48 hours in a week.
“Ang ila lang gyud gipahibawo nato is that they’ll reduce the number of days. So sa existing nga advisory, pwede man i-reduce ang number of time for work, less than six days a week, for as long as dili lang siya moubos og 48 hours,” Taniza said.
(They informed us that they’ll reduce the number of days. So in the existing advisory, they can actually reduce the number of time for work, less than six days a week, for as long as they won’t go lower than 48 hours.)
Restaurants, furniture company
Taniza said that some of the establishments who requested for flexible work hours included restaurants and a furniture company, whose clients and customers were foreign nationals.
Taniza, however, clarified that as of the moment, they had not received yet reports on displacement of workers because of the effect of COVID-19.
She also said that the agency had been prepared to assist if ever there would be workers, who would be displaced by enrolling them in different programs of the agency such as the “Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD), an emergency employment program of DOLE-7.
“Of course, we’ll make everything possible to render assistance kay mo-qualify man sila in the event nga ma-displaced gyud sila,”she added.
(Of course, we’ll make everything possible to render assistance because they will qualify in the event that they will be displaced./dbs
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