Provide transpo solution for employees: DTI chief to firms

FILE: Private cars, motorcycles, and bikes ply through a traffic-free Edsa Cubao southbound lane in Quezon City on Monday (May 25, 2020). (PNA photo by Joey O. Razon)

MANILA – Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez has urged companies to provide shuttle services for their employees as more workers are expected to report to their workplace due to the easing of quarantine restrictions starting June 1.

In an interview with CNN Philippines on Friday, Lopez said companies’ shuttle services would help “unload the problem of the public transport.”

Under general community quarantine (GCQ), the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has allowed the full operation of businesses except for a few industries, particularly in entertainment, as well as travel and leisure.

However, commuting would be a challenge for the workforce as operations of public transport are limited to observe minimum health protocols, such as physical distancing.

Lopez noted that it would be in the company’s favor to provide its employees with shuttle services as this would ensure the safety of the workers and easier contact tracing.

He also encouraged companies to house their employees in nearby accommodation facilities.

“Employers would want their workers to go to work, especially if it’s (the) operation type of work. For administrative jobs, they can do (the) work-from-home (scheme),” Lopez said.

Even under the “new normal”, he said, companies would implement alternative work arrangements, such as work from home, compressed work week, and skeleton workforce.

Meanwhile, as more individuals are looking into the use of bicycles in going to work due to limited public transportation, Lopez said the DTI would consider imposing price control on bikes now that sales are increasing.