Pregnant working women will be allowed to work six hours a day instead of the required 8 hours under a bill addressing their plight while working in offices or factories.
Rep. Anthony Rolando Golez Jr. (Lone District, Bacolod City) authored House Bill 5031, which covers pregnant women who are employed in both public and private sectors.Golez said the bill to be known as the "Pregnant Women Workers Act" recognizes the sanctity of family life and mandates the equal protection of the life of the mother and the unborn child.
"Life nowadays is hard, and the tradition where the husband is the only bread winner in the family is gone," Golez said.
Golez said women, whether single or married, are now a vital part of the country's work force and sometimes even when already pregnant, they still go to work and exert energy just to earn and save for their impending delivery.
"Work brings stress and employed pregnant women are exposed to unwanted stress that might affect their unborn child. They have a hard time striking a balance between working and getting proper rest," Golez said.
Golez said pregnant women need more rest to avoid certain complications during pregnancy. "Pregnant women are forced by the situation to work to earn a living for their family," he said.
Under the bill, pregnant working women will be allowed to render a six-hour a day schedule but they will receive the same salary they should be receiving from an eight-hour work schedule.
"This is the best way to ensure that employed pregnant women get to earn a living and get the proper rest at the same time," Golez said.
Under the bill, all employers shall only require pregnant women to render six-hours of work a day prior to the latter's availment of maternity leave benefits prescribed under existing laws.
The bill mandates the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to formulate and issue rules and regulations for the implementation of the proposed act.
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