DOLE salary rules on Black Saturday, a special non-working day

An April 19, 2011 advisory / press release by the Department of Labor and Employment

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday issued the following pay rules applicable on April 23, Black Saturday, which President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared a special non-working day throughout the country:

“If Black Saturday, April 23, 2011 is worked, the employee is entitled to 130 percent of his daily rate for the first eight hours, and to an additional 30 percent of his or her hourly rate on the said day for work performed in excess of eight hours.

“On the other hand, if unworked, the worker or employee is not entitled to any payment, unless there is a favorable company policy, practice or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) granting payment for special days even if not worked;

“If the day is worked and it falls on the employee’s rest day, the employee or worker is entitled for the first eight hours to 150 percent of his or her regular daily rate, and for work performed in excess of 8 hours, plus 30 percent of his or her hourly rate on the said day.”

In connection, the labor and employment chief reiterated to the country’s employers in the private sector to see to it and ensure that the core labor standards are properly applied in the country’s workplaces during the special non-working day.

“This in consonance with the President’s emphasis, his 22-point labor and employment agenda, to provide for the welfare and protection of the country’s workforce,” Baldoz said.

Baldoz said that the President, in affirming the traditional special holiday for Black Saturday, noted that the observance of Holy Week is “one of the Philippines’s most cherished traditions.”

Thus, the President said that the Filipino people “must be given the full and uninterrupted opportunity to ponder on the significance of the Holy Week, and to properly observe its traditions with religious fervor without prejudice to public interest.”

(Feedbacks and questions?  Kindly get in touch with the DOLE Call Center at Hotline 2917 from your Globe or TM mobile phones, 908-2917 from your fixed-line phones for free, or text (SMS) us at 2910; if not, call or visit the Bureau of Working Conditions (BWC) located at 3/F, DOLE Building, Muralla Street cor. General Luna Street, Intramuros, Manila, tel. no. 527-3000, local 301.)