Labor Undersecretary Benjo Benavidez (Screengrab) MANILA - A proposal to implement a four-day workweek would help workers both in the private and public sectors amid the high prices of oil and commodities, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Undersecretary Benjo Benavidez said on Monday. "Mainam na may mga ganitong panukala para na rin matulungan natin iyong mga manggagawa, lalung-lalo na ngayong tumataas po iyong presyo ng gasolina at iba pang commodities (It is good to have these kinds of measures so that we can help our workers, especially now that the prices of gasoline and other commodities are rising)," Benavidez said at the Laging Handa briefing. Benavidez said the four-day workweek scheme is not new, having been adopted in the country during the financial crisis. He said it is an alternative work arrangement that can be implemented both in the private and public sectors. "Its implementation in private companies is part of what we call management prerogative while its implementation in the public sector, we defer to the Civil Service Commission. But in the past, this type of work arrangement has also been implemented in other government offices," he added. Benavidez said it would be up to the companies whether to adopt the proposed work arrangement temporarily. "If they adopt it permanently, I think they will add people because if they are in a 24/7 operation, they need more people, they will be hiring more workers," he said. "Now, if they are only going to use it for a short period of time, let's make sure that they have transition plans for changing work schedules and work arrangements and that our workers are not overly affected or aggravated by changing work arrangements." He said employers have two options on how to implement the scheme, either through a compressed workweek or reduced working days in a week. "We compressed the workweek, the normal workweek from six days to four days, but at the same time, we still retain your normal hours of work," he said. "The second thing employers can do is to reduce your working day...if a company implements a reduction of workdays, there will be a reduction in wages." Benavidez said usually companies adopt a compressed workweek. (PNA) }