Apr 8, 2010

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

BOOK THREE
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Title I
WORKING CONDITIONS AND REST PERIODS
Chapter I
HOURS OF WORK
Art. 82. Coverage. The provisions of this Title shall apply to employees in all establishments and undertakings whether for profit or not, but not to government employees, managerial employees, field personnel, members of the family of the employer who are dependent on him for support, domestic helpers, persons in the personal service of another, and workers who are paid by results as determined by the Secretary of Labor in appropriate regulations.
As used herein, "managerial employees" refer to those whose primary duty consists of the management of the establishment in which they are employed or of a department or subdivision thereof, and to other officers or members of the managerial staff.
"Field personnel" shall refer to non-agricultural employees who regularly perform their duties away from the principal place of business or branch office of the employer and whose actual hours of work in the field cannot be determined with reasonable certainty.
Art. 83. Normal hours of work. The normal hours of work of any employee shall not exceed eight (8) hours a day.
Health personnel in cities and municipalities with a population of at least one million (1,000,000) or in hospitals and clinics with a bed capacity of at least one hundred (100) shall hold regular office hours for eight (8) hours a day, for five (5) days a week, exclusive of time for meals, except where the exigencies of the service require that such personnel work for six (6) days or forty-eight (48) hours, in which case, they shall be entitled to an additional compensation of at least thirty percent (30%) of their regular wage for work on the sixth day. For purposes of this Article, "health personnel" shall include resident physicians, nurses, nutritionists, dietitians, pharmacists, social workers, laboratory technicians, paramedical technicians, psychologists, midwives, attendants and all other hospital or clinic personnel.
Art. 84. Hours worked. Hours worked shall include (a) all time during which an employee is required to be on duty or to be at a prescribed workplace; and (b) all time during which an employee is suffered or permitted to work.
Rest periods of short duration during working hours shall be counted as hours worked.
Art. 85. Meal periods. Subject to such regulations as the Secretary of Labor may prescribe, it shall be the duty of every employer to give his employees not less than sixty (60) minutes time-off for their regular meals.
Art. 86. Night shift differential. Every employee shall be paid a night shift differential of not less than ten percent (10%) of his regular wage for each hour of work performed between ten o’clock in the evening and six o’clock in the morning.
Art. 87. Overtime work. Work may be performed beyond eight (8) hours a day provided that the employee is paid for the overtime work, an additional compensation equivalent to his regular wage plus at least twenty-five percent (25%) thereof. Work performed beyond eight hours on a holiday or rest day shall be paid an additional compensation equivalent to the rate of the first eight hours on a holiday or rest day plus at least thirty percent (30%) thereof.
Art. 88. Undertime not offset by overtime. Undertime work on any particular day shall not be offset by overtime work on any other day. Permission given to the employee to go on leave on some other day of the week shall not exempt the employer from paying the additional compensation required in this Chapter.
Art. 89. Emergency overtime work. Any employee may be required by the employer to perform overtime work in any of the following cases:
a. When the country is at war or when any other national or local emergency has been declared by the National Assembly or the Chief Executive;

b. When it is necessary to prevent loss of life or property or in case of imminent danger to public safety due to an actual or impending emergency in the locality caused by serious accidents, fire, flood, typhoon, earthquake, epidemic, or other disaster or calamity;

c. When there is urgent work to be performed on machines, installations, or equipment, in order to avoid serious loss or damage to the employer or some other cause of similar nature;

d. When the work is necessary to prevent loss or damage to perishable goods; and

e. Where the completion or continuation of the work started before the eighth hour is necessary to prevent serious obstruction or prejudice to the business or operations of the employer.
Any employee required to render overtime work under this Article shall be paid the additional compensation required in this Chapter.
Art. 90. Computation of additional compensation. For purposes of computing overtime and other additional remuneration as required by this Chapter, the "regular wage" of an employee shall include the cash wage only, without deduction on account of facilities provided by the employer.

Source: Kilusan

Sep 7, 2008

Philippine Labor Group To Help Sell High-Quality, Low-Priced Medicines

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) on Sunday said it will establish a network of outlets to help resell high quality, but low-priced medicines to marginal families, particularly those dependent on fixed-wage earners.

"We are just waiting for the implementing guidelines of the new law. Once they are finalized, we will definitely come in and give more meaning to the law by getting involved in the retail distribution of imported, affordable medicines," said Ernesto Herrera, TUCP secretary general.

Herrera was referring to the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Law of 2008, or Republic Act 9502.

"We've already had preliminary discussions with Senator Mar Roxas on the matter. He has promised to help us find ways to make vital medicines more accessible to workers," Herrera said in a statement.

Roxas is principal author of RA 9502 and chairman of the Senate committee on trade and commerce.

Herrera said the labor center may get its supply of medicines from the state-run Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC), just like the Botika ng Bayan outlets, or from other accredited importers.

"We may enlist the help of member-labor federations, local unions or even a number of partners from the private sector, if necessary," Herrera added.

"Affordable medicines have become an absolute necessity, especially now that workers and other consumers have to cope with soaring food and other commodity prices," Herrera pointed out.

Herrera made the statement shortly after the Drug Store Association of the Philippines (DSAP) expressed concern over a provision in RA 9502 that requires all pharmacies to carry certain medicines imported by the government via the PITC.

The DSAP stated its concern during a recent public hearing conducted by the Department of Health (DOH) to solicit the inputs of consumers, the pharmaceutical industry and medical groups before the IRR of RA 9502 is drawn up. The DOH held its second public hearing on the IRR on Sept. 5 in Angeles City.

The DOH has a Nov. 4 deadline to release the IRR of the new law, which seeks to provide Filipinos greater access to inexpensive drugs by reinforcing the PITC's parallel importation scheme, and by allowing any entity to import patented medicines sold cheaper in other countries.

The new law relaxes existing patent rules by declaring that parallel importation does not violate trademarks, as long as the medicines brought in are determined to be genuine counterparts produced in other countries.

Herrera lamented that health protection in the country remains grossly inadequate, with only one of every three citizens covered by medical insurance. He said the government's insufficient financial resources have hampered universal health insurance coverage.

As a result, Herrera said Filipinos have to take out of their own pockets more than 40 percent of all health-related spending, including the purchase of high-priced medicines.


MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 7, 2008)
http://www.mindanaoexaminer.com/news.php?news_id=20080907004053

Jan 21, 2007

Reproductive Health Project for the Working Youth

Sexual and Reproductive Health Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Among Filipino Adolescents

A View from the Workplace

Conclusions and Recommendations

A. Knowledge augmentation

1. Broaden working youth's knowledge of STDs. There are other varieties of STDs apart from the ones they reported as gonorrhea, HIV and AIDS, syphilis, candidiasis, genital warts, public lice and scabies.

2. Continue imparting the correct definition of HIV and AIDS, especially the former definition as this was hardly known among the working youth.

3. Modify several misconceptions of the transmission routes of HIV. Examples of misconceptions requiring modification are those that specify that the virus is transmissible through mosquito bites or by holding someone with AIDS.

4. Broaden young people's knowledge of effective means of preventing pregnancies and STIs.

B. Attitudinal and behavioral formation

B.1 Restrained attitudes and practices

1. Promote the non-acceptability and non-practice of sexual relationships between single adolescents and married individuals;

2. Promote the acceptability and use of abstinence;

3. Promote the acceptability and practice of sexual intercourse only within marriage;

4. Promote the non-acceptability and non-adoption of sexual relationships among individuals who are not ready to face the dire consequence of sex;

5. Promote the acceptability and adoption of self-stimulation of masturbation as an alternative to dyadic intercourse;

6. Promote the acceptability and adoption of non-penetrative sexual acts as alternative sexual practices;

7. Strengthen the non-acceptance and non-adoption of abortion as the first course of action to resolving pregnancy;

8. Promote the acceptability and adoption of moderation in the practice of sexual and non-sexual behaviors; and

9. Promote the non-acceptability and non-adoption of sexual relationships without adequate and effective protection.

10. Promote the recognition, acceptability and use of individual's decision (rather than the decision of the partner or couple) as basis for using protection.

B.2 Permissive attitudes and practices

11. Promote the acceptability and adoption of sexual relationships so long as these are within the contexts of love relationships and with the view towards marriage;

12. Promote the acceptability and adoption of sexual relationships so long as adequate and effective protection is used.

13. Strengthen the acceptance and adoption of abortion as a justifiable recourse of action to resolving pregnancy; and

14. Further promote the acceptability and judicious use of contraceptives.

C.General

0.Include other non-sexual activities in the program's concerns, such as young people's patronage of pornographic materials, alcohol intake, drugs and the like;

1. Introduce alternative activities (such as sports and quiz games) in which healthy physical and non-physical lifestyles may be promoted;

2. Utilize television, advertisements, teachers, and movies as media for imparting messages;

3. Utilize similarly aged peers and young people as interpersonal channels of information and communication, but their knowledge and attitudinal base has to be broadened and developed.

4. Promote the seriousness of the immediate and long-term consequences of unprotected premarital sexual experience; and

5. Introduce non-judgmental, anonymous and accessible counseling services that adolescents can whenever problems arise.

6. For enhanced effectiveness and greater impact, impart messages using visuals, role-playing and emotion-rousing situations.

7. Embed all the foregoing suggestions within a sound theoretical framework.