"Biz groups open to 'heat breaks' for select employees", 3 April 2024

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, 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.

...Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III ... 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.

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