PU boundary goes with fixed wages The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) yesterday clarified that the

passenger quota system for bus drivers will not be totally eliminated under a fixedsalary scheme. Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said having a quota set for bus drivers may remain in place under the two-tiered salary system. "Hindi naman totally mawawala iyung factor na yung ridership or iyung passenger quota kasi based nga din iyung productivity (pay) sa performance na may incentive sila," she said. "Parang in relation doon sa fixed minimum wage, there should be a quota in terms of passengers," she said. Under the two-tiered wage system, there will be a fixed salary for the bus driver and conductor. They are also entitled to incentive pays based on their performance. Baldoz said they are still in the process of setting up the implementing rules and regulation (IRR), particularly on the performance-based compensation aspect of the wage system. She said DOLE is also eyeing no traffic violations as well as not being involved in accidents as part of the incentive system. She said as soon as they are finished with the consultations, DOLE will implement the fixed salary scheme early February. DOLE decided to adopt the fixed salary for bus drivers and conductors last November hoping that it would eliminate road accidents wherein bus drivers would race against one another in an effort to get more passengers due to the required quota of passengers by the operators. Gerard Naval http://www.malaya.com.ph/01132012/news16.html Manila, Philippines The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the campaigner of the fixed salary scheme for bus drivers, has expressed optimism that the abolition of commission system for drivers would not only provide them better working conditions but also discipline them while on the road. MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said he welcomed development that the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) ordered public utility bus (PUB) operators to implement the government-prescribed salary rate, working hours, and minimum bene ts for all bus drivers. This (memorandum order) is a big factor to discipline the drivers and discourage the bus drivers from being reckless on the road for their chase for passengers, said Tolentino. (Anna Liza T. Villas http://www.tempo.com.ph/2012/bus-drivers-salary-scheme-cited/ Gov't orders fix salaries for bus drivers

MANILA, Philippines Bus drivers will soon receive fixed salaries as the government mandated operators to provide them with salaries above the minimum wage. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board issued a memorandum circular on January 2 mandating the fixed salaries as a way to provide better working conditions for bus drivers and minimize, if not eliminate, the prevalence of accidents involving buses. With 15 days before the circular to be effective, bus drivers all over the country will receive starting January 15 their fixed wages, said lawyer Manuel Iway, LTFRB board member. Iway said the fixed salary should be above the minimum wage, meaning the rate would depend on how much the bus firm or operator could provide. "Apart from the fixed salaries, the drivers will also be provided 13th month pays, service-incentive bonuses and (membership to) PhilHealth," Iway said in an interview. The fixed salary for drivers of public utility buses has been eyed as a deterrent to road accidents involving buses, with drivers usually speeding along major thoroughfares to pick up passengers and meet their "boundaries," a percentage of which has long been the basis of what they took home as their pay. Last year, the government met with bus operators nationwide on the proposal, which was welcomed by the operators, according to Iway. "That was what the DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) wanted (as a labor standard for bus drivers)," Iway said. The LTFRB official said the bus operators have until July to fully comply with all the required salary and incentives to drivers. Non-compliance by that time could result in the cancellation of a franchise given to an operators.

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MANILA, Philippines Drivers and conductors of public utility buses (PUB) should now be paid fixed salaries following an order by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) abolishing the commission system for such workers. The LTFRB in a memorandum order approved on Jan. 3 said bus company owners should start paying their employees above the minimum wage. The new rule is in line with efforts to provide better service to the public by improving the working conditions of public utility vehicle employees. We have been discussing this with operators for several months. They should be ready to implement this by now, LTFRB board member Manuel Iway said in an interview over the weekend. New rules Under the LTFRB s new rules, drivers and conductors should not be allowed to work more than eight hours every day to ensure that they are well-rested while on the job. Their salaries should also be above minimum wage, the regulator said. And like all employees in other industries, bus drivers and conductors should now be entitled to a 13th-month bonus. These moves are expected to cut the number of bus accidents in the country. Iway said the abolition of the commission system would also eliminate competition among drivers for passengers, which usually results in reckless road behavior. Compliance reports Bus companies were given six months to submit compliance reports to the LTFRB that should include a list of the company s payroll and how much each employee is getting paid. Companies that fail to submit these reports face the cancellation of their franchise, Iway said. Serious discussions involving agencies such as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Department of Labor and Employment on the implementation of fixed salaries had been going on since the middle of last year. In Congress, Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casio s House Bill No. 3370 also aims to give the policy a more solid legal foundation by making it a law. The measure was filed after veteran journalist and University of the Philippines professor Lourdes Chit Estella Simbulan was killed in a mishap between the taxi she was in and a speeding bus on Commonwealth Avenue, in Quezon City, also known as the killer highway. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/124209/bus-drivers-conductors-to-get-fixed-pay SECTORAL solons lauded the decision of the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board to implement the government-prescribed salary scheme, working hours and minimum benefits for all bus drivers starting January 16.

This is a positive albeit long-overdue move by the government, Bayan Muna party-list Representative Teddy Casio said Thursday in reaction to LTFRB Memorandum Circular 2012-001, which adopts a part-fixed, part-performance-based system as per the compensation scheme set by the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole). Can't get enough of Sinulog? Watch the winning performances. The circular is based on the Joint Statement of Workers, Operators and Concerned Agencies on the Promotion of Public Transport Safety earlier signed between the DOLE and tripartite partners in the bus transport industry to improve safety and health measures as well as the working conditions of those in the bus transport sector. With the compensation based on the applicable minimum wage per region, Representative Luzviminda Ilagan (Gabriela) stressed that drivers will be assured of fixed income so they will not be competing and road safety is ensured. The performance-based component, meanwhile, will be based on safety like zero road accident, zero traffic violation, company revenues and other parameters of performance or productivity. Dole earlier said through surveys and focused group discussions, it was found out that the risk-taking behavior of drivers is associated with the lack of proper training on motor skills, safety and on traffic rules; poor health due to long work hours and exposure to health hazards; lack of income security under a purely commission-based compensation scheme; weak enforcement of traffic rules and regulations and; weak licensing system. In signing the joint statement, workers, operators and concerned government agencies of the public transport safety committed to improve the working conditions in the bus transport sector by regulating the number of working hours, taking into consideration existing rules and the conditions and requirements of the industry. All public utility bus (PUB) drivers and conductors will be also be entitled to mandatory benefits, including overtime, nightshift differential, rest day, holiday pay and service incentive leave, the manifesto stressed. http://www.sunstar.com.ph/bacolod/business/2012/01/13/ltfrb-lauded-fixed-pay-busdrivers-conductors-200378