Labor union urges private firms to pay employees right wages

CEBU, Philippines -  As the country celebrates Andres Bonifacio Day, a labor union asked private sector employers to pay their workers correct wages as their fair share in the fruits of production.

“As we commemorate the 151st birth anniversary of Gat Andres, may our partners in the private sector possess the conviction and values and principles of the man whom we honored today, who knew that a nation is built on the back of its workers,” said Art Barrit, spokesperson of the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines.

November 30 is a regular national holiday in commemoration of the birth anniversary of the great Philippine hero Gat Andres C. Bonifacio.

With this, the Secretary of Labor is reminding the country’s private sector employers on the guidelines of the national holiday’s pay rules as approved by the DOLE for the November 30, 2014 holiday.

Here are the guidelines:

1) If the employee did not work, the “no work, no pay” principle shall apply, unless there is a favorable company policy, practice, or collective bargaining agreement granting payment on a special day;

2) For work done during the special day, he/she shall be paid an additional 30% of his or her daily rate on the first 8 hours of work – (Daily Rate x 130%) + cost of living allowance, which was recently integrated to the basic minimum wage in the region as per approval by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board;

3) For work done in excess of 8 hours (overtime work), he/shall be paid an additional 30% of his/her hourly rate on said day (Hourly Rate of the Basic Daily Wage x 130% x 130% x Number of Hours Worked);

4) For work done during a special day that also falls on his/her rest day, he/she shall be paid an additional 50% of his/her daily rate on the first 8 hours of work - (Daily Rate x 150%) + COLA; and,

5) For work done in excess of 8 hours (overtime work) during special day that also falls on his/her rest day, he/she shall be paid an additional 30% of his/her hourly rate on said day (Hourly Rate of the Basic Daily Wage x 150% x 130% X Number of Hours Worked).

Meanwhile, thousands of workers from groups comprising the labor coalition Nagkaisa will commemorate the 151st birth anniversary of Bonifacio by marching today in Cebu City and in other key cities like Metro Manila, Bacolod and Davao.

Dennis Derige, Partido ng Manggagawa-Cebu spokesperson said that workers will criticize the anti-labor policies pursued or tolerated by the Aquino administration such as contractualization, cheap labor, high cost of power, and the deepening inequality created under the general condition of jobless growth.

The theme of Nagkaisa’s Bonifacio Day rally will be “Hanap ng manggagawa:  Makamanggagawang lider ng bansa.”   (FREEMAN)