Quarantine leave pay tough for biz–concepcion

PRIVATE companies must only pay for half of the paid isolation and quarantine leave program given the financial difficulties brought about by the pandemic, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria A. Concepcion said.

In a statement on Wednesday, Concepcion said the private sector might find it challenging to shoulder the entire cost of the paid leaves due to Covid-19 infection of the employees.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) issued an advisory earlier this week urging employers to implement paid quarantine leaves for workers, in addition to their existing benefits, as a financial safeguard amid the pandemic.

Govt ready to pay if…. On Wednesday, the DOLE said the government is ready to pay for the quarantine leaves of workers once the necessary law for it is passed by Congress.

In fact, Labor Assistant Secretary Dominique R. Tutay disclosed they even sought the inclusion of an additional P3 billion in their 2022 budget specifically to provide such benefit.

“We saw the situation in 2020 and 2021 when many people exhausted their leave credits. So as part of our foresight while we are preparing for the 2022 budget, we proposed the paid pandemic leave,” Tutay said in an online press briefing.

She noted workers who had used up all their leave credits, but still got quarantined or affected by lockdowns end up with a no work, no pay rule.

Unfortunately, she said their proposed budget did not even make it to the level in Congress since it was already removed by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) from the 2022 National Expenditure Program.

She noted they are currently backing the passage of the pending legislation, which will institutionalize quarantine leaves.

Ideally, she said the quarantine leave should be shouldered by private companies to make it sustainable; however, since many businesses are still reeling from the pandemic, she noted the government could pay for the additional benefit.

“The problem is if you provide a new social security to workers, it will be paid by the establishments and their workers. But since many [companies] have yet to recover [from the pandemic], the government might as well provide [the

funds] for now,” Tutay said.

DOLE issued the statement amid calls from labor groups for Congress to pass a law, which gives workers paid quarantine leaves.

While the law is pending, DOLE issued an advisory encouraging companies to voluntarily provide paid quarantine and isolation leaves to their workers.

Concepcion, however, said, “In times like this, we in business are not doing well. Some who are doing well will consider this but let’s be flexible those who cannot. But those who can even support with half, that would be great help.”

Still, he backed the initiative, while insisting it should be only voluntary.

“This is one initiative that needs to be supported by all fronts. Secretary Bello’s directive is very commendable as it directly addresses some concerns of our workers, especially this pandemic,” he added.

For one, Concepcion said infected workers will be given assurance they will not lose their salaries when they go into isolation.

“The main concern of our workers is they won’t be paid their salary when they undergo quarantine. Bello’s order would allay that worry as they are now assured of their daily wage while in isolation,” he explained.

In addition, employees will be encouraged to honestly disclose their health status, he said, which is crucial given that some choose to not share if they are experiencing Covid-19 symptoms to avoid losing income as a result of isolation.

“This order, if implemented by private sector employers, would also help quell the spread of Covid-19 among our work force,” Concepcion explained.

The Go Negosyo founder also appealed to the private sector to heed the Labor department’s advisory for the sake of the employees who are “risking their lives” to help keep the economy afloat.

In issuing the advisory, DOLE cited the Labor Code of the Philippines and Occupational Safety and Health Standards Law.

“The paid isolation and quarantine leaves shall be without prejudice to other benefits provided by the Social Security System and the Employees’ Compensation Commission,” the advisory read.

In addition, employees who are deemed close contact, suspect, probable or confirmed case are required to undergo home- or facility-based quarantine in accordance with memorandum issued by government agencies.