For on Thursday, the Department of Labor and Employment cautioned the government in declaring more non-working holidays, saying that these have “negative” effects on workers.
DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz urged lawmakers to take into consideration the effects of additional non-working holidays in the overall productivity and competitiveness of the Philippine economy, particularly on labor and employment, before crafting legislative measures on holidays.
Baldoz said that according to a report from the Bureau of Working Conditions, more special non-working holidays create negative rather than positive welfare effects because the principle of “no work, no pay” applies.
“For daily paid workers, the opportunity to produce goods of economic value and to earn wages is lost during a special non-working day,” the DOLE statement read.
For 2012, President Benigno Aquino III declared a total of 18 holidays which include 12 regular holidays and six special non-working days.
The DOLE noticed that Philippines has more holidays than Australia which has eight; Singapore, 11; Indonesia, 14; Japan, 15; Thailand, 15; Malaysia, 16; South Korea, 16; and Hong Kong, 17. Only China, which has 29, has more holidays the Philippines, it added.
“Declaring holidays has implications on productivity and competitiveness. It is associated with issues on rights at work. Reviewing the implementation of holidays is necessary to contribute to the Philippine development goal of inclusive growth, through decent and productive work,” Baldoz said.
What do you think about this? Should there be lesser holidays?
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