Workers worry about ‘no work, no pay’ rule for ASEAN Summit 3-day holiday

The three-day holiday next week for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit is making workers worry, according to a report on 24 Oras by JP Soriano on Thursday.

Malacañang has declared November 13, 14, and 15 as special non-working holidays in National Capital Region, Bulacan, and Pampanga.

This means, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the "no work, no pay" rule applies.

With this, daily-paid workers like Lemuel Sumbilla will incur income losses for the said non-working days.

"Malaki po, tatlong araw e. P512 plus P512, P1,000...P1,500 po mahigit," Sumbilla said.

The DOLE said workers can resort to using their leave entitlements.

"So kung hindi ka papasukin ang tanong kasi diyan is, 'Paano naman kami hindi kami kikita sa araw na iyon?,' I-charge mo pwede mong gamitin sa service incentive leave mo," Labor Undersecretary Dominador Say said.

However, workers who have already spent their five-day leave entitlement cannot avail of the option.

The three-day break is also not a "zero" for all situations because if an employer requires an employee to report for work, pay rules mean an additional 30 percent premium added to the basic pay apart from a possible overtime pay.

"Halimbawa, P500 per day ka. Thirty percent of that is P150 so at the end of the day ang kinita mo is P650. 'Yung ang ang kinita mo, dagdag 30 percent premium," Say said.

Despite the implementation of special non-working holidays, some sectors such as manufacturing and malls continue to require their employees to report for work.

DOLE also clarified that the special non-working holidays apply to Metro Manila, Bulacan, and Pampanga only and not for the whole country.

The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), for its part, said its members will strictly observe the pay rules for employees who will work during the ASEAN Summit holidays.

The ECOP, however, said that employers should be consulted first prior to the declaration of holidays since it will result in additional costs for companies. — Ted Cordero/BM, GMA News