No work, no pay on All Saints break

Workers who would opt not to report for work and just enjoy the holiday on All Saints’ Day won’t be getting any pay, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said.

The government has declared Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 as special holidays to allow Filipinos to commemorate All Saints’ Day and remember their departed loved ones on All Souls’ Day, traditionally observed on Nov. 2.

“If the employee did not work, the ‘no work, no pay’ principle shall apply unless there is a favorable company policy or collective bargaining agreement granting payment on a special day,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said.

Those who would choose to report for work, he added, shall be paid an additional 30 percent for the first eight hours of work, and another 30 percent for work done in excess of eight hours.

“During a special day that also falls on the rest day, the worker shall be paid an additional 50 percent of daily rate for eight hours of work,” Bello said. In excess of eight hours, the work rendered shall be paid another 30 percent of hourly rate.

He noted that DOLE has already issued the necessary labor advisory to guide employers and workers on the pay rules for All Saints’ Day after Malacañang declared Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 as special non-working days.

Many Filipinos go to their provinces and to cemeteries to visit their departed loved ones during those days.