TUCP favors house measure increasing pay for night workers

By TUCP
January 28, 2014

QUEZON CITY – The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) is in favor of a bill in the House of Representatives that seeks to increase the compensation rate of night shift differential in the country from the current 10% to 15%.

The bill also tries to change the night shift differential time window from between 10p.m. and 6a.m. to between 8p.m. and 4a.m.

“We are in favor of increasing night shift differentials of workers by 5% because it will somehow help night shift workers manage with medical expenses out of sickness arising from their stressful and not so ordinary work schedule,” said Gerard Seno, executive vice president of the Associated Labor Unions-TUCP.

He also added saying: “Of course, the increase will boost workers’ morale resulting to an increased productivity thereby benefitting the company at the same time improve employees’ purchasing power stimulating economic activity.”

House Bill 656 introduced by Rep. Ma. Victoria Sy-Alvarado is an act providing for an increase in rate and changing of the time window of the night shift differential otherwise known as “Night Workers’ Additional Compensation Act of 2013.

The bill seeks to revise the provision of Article 86 of the Labor Code of the Philippines into “every employee shall be paid a night shift differential of not less that fifteen percent (15%) of his regular wage for each hour of work performed between 8p.m. and 4a.m.”

The code, created in May 1974, stipulates the night shift differential window between 10p.m. and 6a.m. to be paid with not less than 10% of regular wage.