Senate approves Alternative Working Arrangement bill on second reading
Published Feb 5, 2019 02:29 pm
By Vanne Terrazola
The Senate on Monday afternoon approved on second reading the bill that would give employers and employees an option to adopt flexible working arrangements.
Senator Joel Villanueva (Czar Dancel / MANILA BULLETIN)
Senate Bill No. 1571 or the proposed Alternative Working Arrangement law is expected to hurdle the Upper Chamber next week after its passage on second reading.
Senator Joel Villanueva, chair of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources and sponsor of the measure, said that his proposal would respond "to the changes in the labor market and in the nature of employment.”
“As I always say, we are now in the age of robotics, the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0. Today, work need not be confined in a certain place or office. Work need not happen at the same time. Work can be done remotely,” Villanueva said.
SB 1571 seeks to amend Article 83 of the Labor Code by making an exception to the standard eight-hour work a day when the exigency of business operations requires the adoption of a mutually agreed voluntary work arrangement between the employer and the employee.
Under the measure, alternative working hours shall not exceed 48 hours a week. There would be no reduction of existing benefits.
Villanueva said that workers who have "more independence and control over their work are more productive and deliver better results. He said this "has been tested many times and generally accepted as true by employers and even labor sociologists."
He added that an alternative working arrangement or flexible working is a necessity, saying that Filipino workers deserve "to have this statutory right."
He noted that some companies are already implementing non-traditional working arrangements like flextime, four-day workweek, compressed workweek, working from home, shift flexibility, among others.
Villanueva, on the other hand, stressed that the proposed alternative working arrangement would not become compulsory.
“Like the Telecommuting Act, this is optional or voluntary and would depend on the exigency of the business operation,” he clarified.
Apart from the benefits the bill provides to employees, the senator said that the measure could also benefit employers, such as: less expense on recruitment and training; and huge savings resulting from the reduction of traffic congestion.
Villanueva said he is confident that more jobs will be suitable to alternative working arrangements.
Senator Joel Villanueva (Czar Dancel / MANILA BULLETIN)
Senate Bill No. 1571 or the proposed Alternative Working Arrangement law is expected to hurdle the Upper Chamber next week after its passage on second reading.
Senator Joel Villanueva, chair of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources and sponsor of the measure, said that his proposal would respond "to the changes in the labor market and in the nature of employment.”
“As I always say, we are now in the age of robotics, the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0. Today, work need not be confined in a certain place or office. Work need not happen at the same time. Work can be done remotely,” Villanueva said.
SB 1571 seeks to amend Article 83 of the Labor Code by making an exception to the standard eight-hour work a day when the exigency of business operations requires the adoption of a mutually agreed voluntary work arrangement between the employer and the employee.
Under the measure, alternative working hours shall not exceed 48 hours a week. There would be no reduction of existing benefits.
Villanueva said that workers who have "more independence and control over their work are more productive and deliver better results. He said this "has been tested many times and generally accepted as true by employers and even labor sociologists."
He added that an alternative working arrangement or flexible working is a necessity, saying that Filipino workers deserve "to have this statutory right."
He noted that some companies are already implementing non-traditional working arrangements like flextime, four-day workweek, compressed workweek, working from home, shift flexibility, among others.
Villanueva, on the other hand, stressed that the proposed alternative working arrangement would not become compulsory.
“Like the Telecommuting Act, this is optional or voluntary and would depend on the exigency of the business operation,” he clarified.
Apart from the benefits the bill provides to employees, the senator said that the measure could also benefit employers, such as: less expense on recruitment and training; and huge savings resulting from the reduction of traffic congestion.
Villanueva said he is confident that more jobs will be suitable to alternative working arrangements.