Rep. Winston Castelo wants 4-day work week

A lawmaker from Quezon City on Monday proposed the adoption of a 10-hour 4-day work week (10/4) in both the private and public sectors to save on costs and give workers more time for themselves and their families.

Rep. Winston Castelo said he would file the Four-Day Work Week Act of 2011 this week.

Under the unnumbered bill, the 10/4 formula would not alter the traditional 40 hours of work in a week, only rearrange it. Working hours would be from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., including breaks, Monday to Thursday.

“There won’t be any reduction in the required 40 hours of work every week, or any cutback in services or productivity,” Castelo said.

He said this would lead to government and private sector savings of at least P20 billion a week. There were over 20 million private sector employees and 1.5 million government employees, he said.

He said that if a worker in Metro Manila spends P200 a day for transportation, food and other expenses in going to work—or P1,000 a week—the 10-4 schedule would mean a savings of P200 per week.

For employers, a shortened week would result in lower production and maintenance costs and increased employee morale, he said.

Castelo said this schedule was already being followed at the House of Representatives with “resounding positive effects and enormous savings for the government.”