THE Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) on Tuesday criticized the proposal for a four-day workweek, saying the scheme endorsed by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) will only reduce the number of working days, but not the number of working hours.
Instead of working only eight hours a day, workers will be forced to work 10 hours a day under the scheme, the group said.
KMU added that the four-day workweek won’t lead to a “happier, healthier and more sustainable society” as International Labor Organization (ILO) expert Jon Messenger claims.
On the contrary, it will pose dangers to the health and safety of workers, KMU said.
“Messenger’s critique of long hours of work should be directed at the four-day workweek scheme approved by the CSC, not at our defense of a five-day workweek,” KMU Chairman Elmer Labog said in a news statement.
“Given the current situation where workers are made to work for 40 hours a week, we prefer a five-day workweek with eight hours of work each day over a four-day workweek with 10 hours of work each day,” Labog said.