Bello assures employees: 4-day work week scheme won't affect salary

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III assured employees that their salaries would remain untouched even if a measure seeking to implement a four-day work week scheme gets enacted into a law, an Unang Balita report said Thursday.

House Bill 5068 seeks to "compress" required work hours into a 4-day work week. It earlier received a unanimous approval from the House labor panel.

Under the measure, the total number of normal work hours per week shall remain at 48 hours, but will have to be distributed through four days, instead of the usual five or six days. However, this will be on a voluntary basis, depending on the decision of companies.

According to the bill's author, Baguio Rep. Mark Go, this would lessen traffic, give more time for employees to rest and save money, and would also allow companies to save operating expenses.

Go pointed out that the said measure would give both employers and employees "flexibility in fixing hours of work compatible with business requirements and the employees' need for balanced work-life."

"This proposed measure seeks to institutionalize the compressed work week scheme as it proves to promote competitiveness, efficiency and productivity in business and industries," Go said. — Marlly Rome Bondoc/MDM, GMA News