Many regions in the Philippines implement a 4-day work week to avoid heat stress

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Quỳnh Chi

10/05/2024 11:29 GMT+10

The Philippines, like some other countries in Asia, is currently experiencing extreme heat (Photo: Xinhua).

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the government of Cavite province, located over 30km from the capital Manila, Philippines, has implemented a policy allowing employees to work 4 days a week in the office starting from late April to July. Specifically, employees will work from 7am to 6pm from Monday to Thursday each week.

Several other localities have also implemented similar policies, allowing employees to work 4 days a week, except for frontline jobs such as rescue workers, traffic police, and healthcare workers.

The Philippine Department of Labor stated that employers have the right to adjust the workweek to 4 days and other alternative arrangements even without government orders.

The idea of working 10 hours a day, 4 days a week instead of 8 hours a day, 5 days a week is not new in the Philippines. The country's Minister of Socioeconomic Planning had proposed this change in 2022 after a sharp increase in fuel prices due to the Ukraine conflict.

The Philippines is currently experiencing an extreme heatwave due to the impact of El Nino. According to the country's Department of Health, from January 1 to April 29, the number of heat-related illnesses in the country has risen to 77, including 7 fatalities. Cavite recorded a peak temperature of 48 degrees Celsius on April 24.

The extreme heatwave has also forced a number of public schools in the Philippines to switch to online learning arrangements similar to the Covid-19 era.