MANILA — Partido Lakas ng Masa presidential aspirant Leody De Guzman urged authorities Tuesday to maintain work from home arrangements even as Metro Manila and several other areas downgraded quarantine restrictions.

De Guzman made the call after Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez said that working from home would become optional in areas under the Alert Level 1 to fast-track economic recovery.

“Dapat paalalahanan ang kalihim ng kalakalan at pamumuhunan na nanatili tayong nasa ilalim ng pandemya mula sa mikrobyong likas na mas lumilikha ng mga variant. Ang kanyang aktitud na 'business as usual' sa usapin ng kaligtasan ng mga nagtatrabaho ay peligroso sa buhay ng tao,” De Guzman said in a statement.

(The Secretary of Trade and Industry should be reminded that we are still in a pandemic, that the virus creates more variants. His business as usual attitude towards the safety of working people is dangerous to human life.)

Under Alert Level 1, operations of establishments, offices, and public transportation are back to 100 percent while observing safety precautions such as wearing face masks.

Partido Lakas ng Masa presidential aspirant @LeodyManggagawa encourages authorities to maintain work from home arrangement as COVID-19 persists amid deescalation of some areas to Alert Level 1. #Halalan2022 | @ABSCBNNews

— Josiah Antonio (@josiahvantonio) March 1, 2022

De Guzman also urged the Labor Department to ensure that labor laws are still followed by companies implementing a work from home set up.

"Dapat tiyakin ng DOLE na sinusunod ang mga basic labor standards ng mga work-from-home employees, na karamiha'y higit pa sa walong oras kada araw ang itinatrabaho nang walang karagdagang overtime premium at benepisyo sa kabila ng malaking natitipid ng pinagtatrabahuang nilang mga kompanya sa mga overhead costs gaya ng ilaw, kuryente, renta, atbp," he said.

(DOLE must ensure that basic labor standards are followed by work-from-home employees, who mostly work more than eight hours per day without additional overtime premiums and benefits despite the substantial savings their employers make on overhead costs such as lighting, electricity, rent, etc.)

He reiterated that workers' issues like internet connectivity, mobility, and aid amid the continuing threat of COVID-19 should also be addressed.

De Guzman is the chairperson of labor group Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino and founding member of party-list Partido Manggagawa. He is the country's representative to the International Council of the International Center for Labor Solidarity.

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