The House committee on labour and employment in the Philippines has approved the proposed measure seeking to provide basic safeguards and incentives to freelance workers, reports The Inquirer.net . House Bill No. 615 or the Freelance Workers Protection Act, authored by Rep. Christopher De Venecia of the 4th District of Pangasinan in the Philippines, aims ‘to promote the safety and well-being of freelance workers, specifically, by mandating the provision of mandatory hazard pay and night shift differential pay’.

It also grants freelancers and self-employed professionals ‘the power to demand payment for services rendered through several legal channels, impose civil penalties on unscrupulous hiring parties, and criminalize non-payment of compensation of freelance workers.’ During the panel’s meeting this week, De Venecia described freelancers as a sector in urgent need of support and protection. After obtaining the committee’s approval upon the motion of Rep. Arlene Brosas of the Gabriela Party the proposed measure will now be sent to the lower chamber’s plenaray.