Workers seeking paid ‘heat leaves’

MANILA, Philippines — Workers are seeking a revision of the “no work, no pay” arrangement for those opting to take a leave of absence due to extreme heat.

Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) urged the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to revisit the existing labor advisory on work suspension due to weather disturbances.

The TUCP said that Advisory No. 17 issued two years ago disregards the need for workers to earn and put food on the table.

“This approach may unduly deprive workers, especially daily wage earners under ‘no work, no-pay’ arrangements, of badly needed income to feed their families amid rising food prices due to El Niño,” TUCP vice president Luis Corral said in a statement.

The advisory allows workers not to report to work if extreme weather conditions like El Nino expose them to danger.

It states that if a worker does not report for work, he is not entitled to regular pay unless there is a favorable company policy or collective bargaining agreement, or when his accrued leave credits are available to be utilized.

The labor group asked the DOLE to revise the “default recourse to what amounts to a no-work, no-pay work suspension.”

It calls for a tripartite heat action plan that ensures health and safety as mandated under the Occupational Safety and Health Law.

Corral said the government should implement interventions that are mutually beneficial for both employers and employees.

A heat risk action plan, he said, must include heat breaks, buddy system, hydration facilities, good ventilation system and heat stress orientation.

Labor Secretary Bienvenindo Laguesma said the DOLE could not stop legislators from performing their duty to enact laws, but could only balance the interest and needs of workers and employers.

Laguesma was reacting to a proposal filed at the House of Representatives, which seeks to grant heat break leaves to workers.

He said the DOLE is taking measures to ease the discomfort of workers from extreme heat.

He said there are existing policies such as flexible work arrangements that workers and employers could agree to adopt at this time.

Laguesma encouraged employers to look into the condition of their workers at the workplace and take necessary measures. He said measures to be implemented must not jeopardize business operations. — Sheila Crisostomo, Cecille Suerte Felipe