Labor group pushes for ‘Pambansang Day Off’

Members of the Philippine Campaign to Promote Decent Work for Domestic Workers Technical Working Group (Domestic Work TWG), led by trade unions and domestic workers’ associations today called on President Duterte to declare June 12, Independence Day also as “Pambansang Day off.”

Julius Cainglet, vice president of the Federation of Free Workers (FFW), one of the trade union members of the Domestic Work TWG, said they want domestic workers across the country to take the day off on June 12 so that domestic workers will have the time to register to the Social Security System (SSS), Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and the Home Development Mutual Fund (PAG-IBIG), together with their employers.

“Domestic workers do not benefit from holidays as other workers do. Workers are supposed to enjoy a day off on a holiday or get double pay when they work. But for domestic workers, a holiday is just an ordinary working day,” he said in a statement.

Among the main activities being pushed by the group are the National Registration of domestic workers and employer to the SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG.

According to the Domestic Work TWG, not even 10 percent of the close to 2-million domestic workers have been registered with the SSS, PhilHealth and PagIBIG.

This, despite the enactment of Republic Act 10361 or the Batas Kasambahay which requires mandatory coverage of domestic workers by all social protection institutions.

It also cited data from September 2015 showing that the SSS has 158,567 registered kasambahays, with PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG having worse numbers at 60,603 and 86,562.

“It’s important for us domestic workers to have a national day off and also during national holidays because we are also like other workers,” said Maia Montenegro, deputy secretary general of United Domestic Workers of the Philippines (United), one of the growing organizations of kasambahays in the country.