Leaders of the country’s top business organizations have expressed openness to a lawmaker’s proposal that employees be given special or unscheduled breaks from work during times of severe heat, but said employers should be given a free hand on its implementation.

In an interview on Wednesday, April 3, Sergio Ortiz-Luis, Jr., president of the Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), said the proposed “heat breaks” should not be made compulsory nor should it be legislated.

He was reacting to a proposal by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III seeking additional rest periods for workers during times of intense heat and the enforcement of occupational heat safety and health protocols.

Pimentel said the Philippines should take its cue from the government of the United Arab Emirates, which mandates that employees be allowed special breaks when it gets too hot.

However, Ortiz-Luis said that passing another labor law that allows for more breaks creates opportunities for abuse.

“No one is more concerned about employees’ welfare than their employers. If workers begin suffering heat strokes… work will stop and productivity will plummet. Maybe the government can issue guidelines… but each company must be permitted to implement occupational heat safety and health protocols in accordance with the specific conditions in their company,” he told the Philippine News Agency.

Ortiz-Luis said only workers whose jobs require them to be exposed to the sun for extended periods of time are truly vulnerable, and they are the only ones who should benefit from the special “heat breaks.”

Jesus Arranza, chairman of the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI), said he will support the granting of special work breaks when temperatures run too high “because it is management’s responsibility to look after its workers.”

However, Arranza said the types of work that can be covered by the proposed new labor policy must be clearly defined.

“There are studies showing a direct correlation between the heat and workers’ productivity. Allowing your employees to rest when it is really hot is a good management decision because employees exhausted from the heat will not be productive. But office employees… those working in air-conditioned rooms or stores should not be considered for this,” he added.PNA