'No vax, no pay' policy illegal, says Bello

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Tuesday branded as "illegal" the policy of withholding the salary of employees who have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Bello made the statement in a radio interview after the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) said a company in the National Capital Region has been implementing a "no vaccine, no salary" policy.

“Bawal yan. Labag sa batas nga 'yan [That’s prohibited under the law]. You cannot withhold the salary of the employee, of the worker without legal basis,” he said.

“Yung hindi pagbabakuna hindi legal basis yun. Bawal na bawal yung ganyang policy [Not getting vaccinated is not a legal basis. That is strictly prohibited],” Bello added.

So far, Bello said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has not received any report, complaint, or call regarding the illegal policy, not even from the ALU-TUCP.

He said they only learned about it through media interviews and reports.

Bello encouraged employees who experienced such policy to formally report their concern to DOLE by visiting the department’s office or calling its hotline.

On Monday, several senators condemned the "no vaccine, no salary" policy, stressing that this is illegal.  —KBK, GMA News