Sen. Joel Villanueva. Photo from Sen. Villanueva’s office
Senator Joel Villanueva on Monday pushed for the passage of a bill that seeks to increase the service incentive leave pay of private employees.
Under Senate Bill No. 1614 or “An Act Increasing Service Incentive Leave Pay of Employees”, every employee, who has rendered at least one year of service, shall be entitled to an annual service incentive leave of 10 days.
The passage of the measure, according to Villanueva, will serve as a Christmas gift for hardworking Filipinos.
“Work-life balance is for the best interest of the economy. This legislation is yet another of our numerous efforts to seek gainful economics; an embodiment of our determination to advance the most basic of our national interests – livelihood commensurate to the human dignity and rights of our people: factory workers, office employees, call center agents, security guards, among others,” Villanueva, who sponsored the bill, said in a statement.
The senator, who chairs the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development, noted that the current service incentive leave pay enables employees to take or avail of leave with pay for five days.
The said measure seeks to add additional five days but these additional days shall not be commutable or convertible to cash.
In addition, the measure will not apply to those who are already enjoying such benefit, those enjoying a vacation leave of at least 10 days with pay, and those in establishments regularly employing less than 10 people.
The senator also pointed out that employees with a healthy work-life balance can focus better on their respective jobs “because they will have less personal problems as they can spend more time to attend to their personal and family matters.”
“It will affect their positive outlook in life and positive attitude at work,” he said,
Moreover, Villanueva said benefits of the proposed bill to employees will also benefit employers.
“I always say that happy employees will mean committed, productive, loyal employees. A contented employee is a committed employee who works efficiently to the employer’s profit,” he said.
“We submit that Senate Bill No. 1614 will help shape an economy that is harmonious with treasured Filipino values, most especially, strong family ties and a vibrant and happy community where there is positive regard for the well-being of our workers and their families,” he added.
The said measure is still pending at the Senate but the House of Representatives approved its version of the bill in August of this year. /kga
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