SENATOR Francis Escudero on Friday filed a bill requiring mandatory insurance coverage and additional benefits for workers in the power transmission and distribution sector.
Escudero filed Senate Bill No. 498 with a view to providing further momentum to his advocacy for value-added tax-free electricity to help reduce household expenses.
“They perform both critical and dangerous work. Yet a number of them do so bereft of any form of coverage against death, accidents, illness, and other fortuitous events that could be sustained in the line of duty,” the senator noted.
The proposed Line Workers Insurance and Benefits Act would compel private distribution utilities, electric cooperatives and transmission or grid operators to provide insurance coverage along with retirement and disability benefits, death and burial assistance, and reimbursement of medical expenses.
The bill also covers drivers, helpers and support personnel deployed with line workers during construction and maintenance activities.
Employers would shoulder the full cost of insurance premiums, which cannot be deducted from workers’ salaries.
“This provision ensures that workers receive full protection without bearing the financial burden.
Escudero said the measure is patterned after House Bill No. 7561, which was approved by the House of Representatives during the 19th Congress.
The bill is pending before the Senate committees on energy and labor, and Escudero expressed hope it would be taken up when session resumes next week.
“Insurance coverage and other benefits would ensure that our line workers, as well as their families, are protected from the risks and perils of their chosen occupation,” the senator concluded.
