The four-day workweek adopted in some government executive offices may not be suitable for private companies, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said Saturday.

TUCP spokesperson Carlos Miguel Oñate said the arrangement depends on the circumstances of each enterprise and cannot be imposed across all industries.

“The four-day workweek is not a ‘one-size-fits-all [fix].’ It always depends on the circumstances of the enterprise, which is why we keep saying it cannot be made mandatory,” he said in a mix of Filipino and English in a radio interview.

“This should always be subject to agreement between labor and management. It also depends on the type of industry involved. It cannot be applied to labor-intensive industries like manufacturing and construction,” he added.

Oñate noted that in the private sector, the four-day workweek is usually practiced in office-based jobs, with four days onsite and one day work-from-home.

He added that government offices providing frontline services should not adopt a four-day workweek.

Oñate also raised concerns about workers under a “no-work, no-pay” arrangement, saying complications could arise if a four-day workweek is implemented.

“If they are suddenly and unilaterally included in a four-day workweek, it could result in a reduction in their benefits and salaries,” he said in Filipino.

He stressed that workers must still be paid overtime if their work exceeds eight hours a day.

“If you work more than eight hours — for example, 10 hours a day within a four-day workweek — the extra two hours should be considered overtime and paid accordingly,” Oñate said in Filipino.

The TUCP also suggested that companies planning to adopt a four-day workweek submit a written agreement to the Department of Labor and Employment for monitoring and compliance.