The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (Ecop), Philippine Exporters Confederation (Philexport) and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) released a joint statement on the proposed bereavement leave bills currently pending deliberations in the House committee on labor and employment.
In their joint statement published on the ECOP website, the three trade organizations said they acknowledge the spirit and intent of these bills to grant employees space to grieve and recover from the loss of a loved, through the grant of a leave of absence from work with pay.
However, they noted that granting additional leaves on top of what is already provided for by law "will result in some undesirable consequences."
They pointed out that the number of working days for a worker in the private sector has already been reduced by mandatory paid leaves in the form of service incentive leave, maternity leave, paternity leave and gynecological leave, totaling 29 to 34 days for men and 152 to 175 days for women.
Added to these, they said, are the regular holidays, nationwide special non-working holidays, other yearly special non-working holidays, and Islamic holidays, which amount to 22 days.
There are the also rest days of Saturdays and Sundays, which total 104 days.
"Assuming that all the mandatory paid leaves are availed of by a worker in a calendar year, a male worker would be entitled to 155 to 160 non-working days with full pay and a woman would be entitled to 278 to 301 non-working days with full pay."
Consequently, the number of working days left in a calendar year for men is 205 to 210 days and a mere 64 to 87 days for women, said the joint statement signed by Ecop chairman Edgardo Lacson, PCCI president Alegria Limjoco and Philexport president Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis Jr.
The group pointed out that any reduction in the number of working days, particularly through additional paid leaves, "would have a damaging impact, not only on productivity, but also on the cost of doing business."
"This will have a huge adverse effect, especially on the viability of micro and small enterprises, which constitutes about 99.6 percent of enterprises in the Philippines in the private sector."
The business associations said they are reiterating their "objection to any additional paid leaves, as (these) bereavement leave bills seek to achieve."
Earlier, the House committee on labor asked for position papers from concerned entities and government agencies on the five House bills proposing to grant bereavement leave with pay to employees in the private and public sectors, which they may avail of in case of death of an immediate family member.
The committee also agreed to come up with a substitute bill following its hearing last September 19 on the five proposals, which seek to grant a five-day or a 10-day bereavement leave with pay in the event of death of a spouse, child, parent, or sibling. / PHILEXPORT NEWS AND FEATURES