Adopt flexi work, employers told; workers allowed entry/exit in NCR during quarantine
Mar 15, 2020 • 2 min Read
The Department of Labor and Employment is urging business and industry not to close shop and to use “flexible work arrangement” to help contain the corona virus epidemic while strictly observing the President’s order for community quarantine and social distancing.
Secretary Silvestre Bello III signed today Labor Advisory No. 11 that supplements the flexible work arrangements. It also allows workers living outside the National Capital Region to enter Metro Manila for the duration of the community quarantine.
Bello said the advisory is aimed to provide business and employers with “remedial measures” to help them fight the impact of the epidemic on business and industry workers.
“The purpose is to provide guidelines to help ensure the containment of COVID-19 transmission through the adoption of flexible work arrangements and observance of strict social distancing measures,” Bello said.
“The flexible work arrangement is a better alternative to outright termination of services of workers, or total closure of establishments,” he said.
“Flexible work arrangements will include any of the following arrangements: telecommuting, work from home, reduction of workdays or work hours, rotation of workers, and/or the implementation of forced leaves,” Bello said.
The advisory also emphasizes that leaves of absences of employees during the community quarantine period shall be charged against the workers’ existing leave credits.
The remaining unpaid leaves during the quarantine period may be covered and subject to conditions provided in the proposed COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program.
“We are also calling all manufacturing, retail and service establishments in the country to remain in operation during the community quarantine period,” Bello stressed.
The advisory also allows workers living outside of the National Capital Region to enter the metropolis during the community quarantine period.
“Residents of nearby cities and/or municipalities outside the National Capital Region who work in Metro Manila shall be allowed to report for work provided that they present proof of employment and residency in checkpoints,” he said.
The documents which workers can present to authorities in the checkpoints shall include the following:
identification card containing the company address, place or work and employee’s place of residence; or
certification of employment issued by the company which shall state their place of work.
Bello added that the same condition shall apply to residents in Metro Manila who are working outside of the metropolis.
The advisory likewise provides that self-employed individuals shall be allowed to travel to and from the National Capital Region provided that they can show proof of business or economic activity at the checkpoints.
Workers who are delivering goods, such as food, raw materials, etc. will also be allowed access in Metro Manila provided that they present proof of delivery receipts stating the address of establishments that will receive the goods.
“We also call on all healthcare facilities and establishments to be fully operational and give authority to their employees to move from Metro Manila to other regions,” he added.
The DOLE will implement the provisions of the advisory through its regional offices.
DOLE News Release
