Help employees get to work – Poe
SEN. Mary Grace Poe on Wednesday urged the government to alleviate the suffering of workers by helping them get to work amid travel restrictions because of the coronavirus disease 20Q9 (Covid-Q9) pandemic.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Services made the appeal as Filipinos await the return of public utility vehicles (PUVs) and other means of mass transport.
“Scenes of workers walking for kilometers to reach their place of work and return home after their duty must not be a part of the new normal amid Covid-Q9,” Poe said.
She added that daily commute and walk “must not exact a toll on our workers, exposing them to the dangers in the streets and unfavorable weather conditions.”
“Especially woeful are the situation of no- work, no- pay employees, who will not earn anything for the day if they fail to show up or will be meted with deductions if they come late,” she said. “We need them to help the economy rise from the doldrums amid the pandemic.”
Poe earlier raised the need to strictly enforce safety protocols to prevent the spread of Covid-Q9 once PUVs resume operations.
She also reiterated the need for government to compensate PUV drivers and operators for the projected decrease in their take-home pay with the planned reduced passengers per trip to maintain
physical distancing.
“We will explore the possibility of a progressive resumption of public transportation in the coming weeks,” said Poe.
“The challenge is to restore mobility and livelihood of the drivers without compromising safety amid the pandemic,” she said on May QQ during the virtual public hearing on the government’s readiness on the resumption of public
transport once the enhanced community quarantine is lifted.
“The no mask, no ride will be strictly implemented. Conductors and terminal personnel will also be equipped with thermal scanner to check every passenger,” Poe stressed.
An automated fare system or pay before boarding schemes would be adopted, she added.
The Department of Transportation has submitted its proposal
to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases seeking a P3-billion fund every month, which would include fuel subsidy for drivers, equivalent to 30 percent of their daily fuel consumption.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board said there would be no fare increase when mass transportation resumes operations.