Too much work kills, says Poe; 8 million Pinoys

overworked

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/879425/too-much-work-

kills-poe-seeks-probe-as-more-filipinos-
overworked#ixzz4bBZsdzst
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

Alarmed by a recent report that more than 8 million Filipinos are

overworked, Senator Grace Poe now wants the Senate to look into
the problem and propose legislative measures to address it.

Poe has filed Senate Resolution No. 316 calling for a probe on the
dramatic rise in the number of overworked Filipinos in the last 20
years.

In the resolution, the senator cited the Philippine Statistics

Authoritys (PSA) report on Decent Work in the Philippines which
showed that there were 8.105 million overworked Filipinos in 2015
in primary jobs, an increase of 41.2 percent or 2.363 million from
5.742 million in 1995.

The same report showed that employed persons with excessive

hours of work per week in all jobs were around 8.845 million in
2015, higher by 4.5 percent or 378,000 from the 8.467 million in
2005.

Several studies have shown that excessive work hours could

trigger serious health problems and even cause death. Chronic
overworking, as various research suggest, can lead to threatening
levels of stress, Poe said in a statement on Friday.

More Filipinos, she said, may be working their way into an early
grave if the problem would not be addressed immediately.

Too much work will kill you, the senator further said.

Poe then proposed a comprehensive review of company policies

requiring employees to work excessively long hours, an overhaul
of labor laws, and passage of legislative measures to ensure the
constitutionally guaranteed just and humane work conditions.
Napakaimportanteng bigyang halaga ang work-life balance dahil
hindi lamang sa trabaho umiikot ang mundo ng ating mga
manggagawa. Bagamat kailangang kumita, walang lugar ang
pang-aabuso sa kanilang karapatan. Sa ganitong paraan, mas
mapagtutuunan nila ng pansin ang kanilang sarili, kalusugan at
pamilya, she said.

(It is very important to value work-life balance because it is not

just work that workers need to focus on. While there is a need to
earn, there should be no place for the abuse of their rights. This
way, they can still prioritize their welfare, health and family.)

The resolution also noted that based on the PSA study, more than
half of the total workers with excessive hours of work were wage
earners and salaried workers.
Excessive hours of work is one of the primary indicators of
decent working time. Having more than the usual hours of work
may interfere with the balance between personal life and work,
may increase injury hazard risks, may signal an inadequate pay,
and in the long term, pose a threat to workers physical and
mental capacity to work. It may also be connected to the
reduction of the productivity of workers, the PSA report said

Poe seeks probe into why more Filipinos work

longer hours

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/879613/poe-seeks-probe-

into-why-more-filipinos-work-longer-hours#ixzz4bBaYXf9z
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
Working too much can be deadly.
Warning of the perils of overwork, Sen. Grace Poe has called for an inquiry into
substantial rise of Filipinos who spend too much time on the job, seen to be
detrimental to health.

Through Senate Resolution No. 316, Poe sought for a legislative investigation into
why the number of Filipino workers who work more than 48 hours a week or
beyond the ideal eight hours per day have nearly doubled over the last 20 years.
Too much work will kill you, Poe said in a statement issued on Friday.
Several studies have shown that excessive work hours could trigger serious health
problems and even cause death, she said. Chronic overworking, as various
research suggest, can lead to threatening levels of stress.
Incidents over recent years show the dangers of working for stretched hours,
including the sudden death of young professionals in Indonesia and China in 2013
after working overtime for extended periods.

In December 2015, a Japanese advertising agency worker killed herself after

putting in hundreds of hours in overtime.

In the Philippines, more than 8.1 million Filipinos were known to have worked for
excessive hours in 2015, a 41.2 percent increase from the number of overworked
workers in 1995, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
PSA data further showed that 80 percent of overworked workers came from the
services sector.

By worker class, the PSA found that wage and salary workers accounted for 52.6
percent of those who clocked in more work hours than they should have.
Under Republic Act No. 1880, working hours for those in government is eight
hours day, exclusive of lunch break, or a total of 40 hours per week. While there is
no similar mandate for the private sector, the eight-hour work day is considered
universally ideal, according to Poes office.

In her resolution, Poe said the state should ensure just and humane work
conditions for workers as provided for in the 1987 Constitution. She called for a
comprehensive review of company policies that require excessively long work
hours.

Having a work-life balance is very important because the lives of our workers do
not just revolve around work, she said. While they need to earn a living, there is
no place for the abuse of their rights.

This way, they would be able to give time to themselves, their health and their
families, she said. /atm