SENATE President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada supports the provision of fixed monthly salaries for bus drivers and conductors and says that the new system upholds the rights of workers to decent wage and working conditions, as it promotes road safety for commuters and common road users.

The officials of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) recently signed a joint statement with the representatives of the transport sector in an effort to address the increasing number of road accidents mainly caused by long working hours for drivers and commission-based compensation setup.

Senator Estrada, chairman of the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources development and of the congressional oversight committee on labor and employment, also pushed for its institutionalization through the passage of Senate Bill 2922 which requires public utility bus operators to pay drivers fixed monthly salaries, which shall not be less than the prevailing minimum wage.

Under the proposed “Bus Drivers and Conductors Compensation Act,” operators shall observe eight-hour driving hours (inclusive of the rest period), a two-shift system, and one-hour rest per working day for drivers.

“Many accidents involve competing buses, each trying to outdo each other in getting more passengers. Sometimes, accidents are caused by tired and sleepy drivers who are forced to work for 16 to 20 hours a day,” Estrada states in the bill’s explanatory note.