No complaints vs non-payment of 13th-month wage

MANILA, Philippines — Not one employee called the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to complain about not receiving 13th month salary.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said that the agency's call center registered "zero complaints" about the mandatory extra month wage since January this year.

"The zero complaint on the non-payment of the 13th-month pay could mean that companies are now more aware of their obligation and are complying faithfully with the 13th-month pay law," Baldoz said in a statement Thursday.

DOLE Call Center director Nicon Fameronag said that  the numbers dropped from 15 to zero within the same period last year.

"There was also a decrease on the number of queries on the matter," Fameronag said.

He explained that employers and their staff would usually ask about the computation of the mandated benefit and when it should be credited into workers' accounts.

"From 1,073 queries in January 2013 to only 284 queries in January this year," Fameronag added.

He said that the DOLE contact office received a total of 6,941 inquiries, 75 percent of which were on social protection and welfare issues.

A total of 1,463 queries, meanwhile, were about holiday pay rules for the January 1 and 31 non-working holidays.

Related: Infographic: Salary rules and list of Philippine holidays

The call center also received and responded to calls on employment facilitation as well as about Republic Act 10361 or the Kasambahay Law.

Many calls also sought explanations about Alien Employment Permit, working child permit, employment for persons with disabilities and other DOLE programs and services.

The office receives an average of 200 calls per day or over 6,000 calls a month.