Be fair and generous this Christmas, employers told

As the Christmas season nears, a militant labor group alerted its members yesterday to be wary of employers who commit labor rights abuses.

Partido Manggagawa (PM) national chairman Renato Magtubo disclosed that many private companies tend to violate basic labor standards in December, as people become busy with their preparation for the long Christmas holiday.

“They are Grinches stealing Christmas from workers,” Magtubo said referring to the erring employers.

The labor leader said the most prominent type of violation committed by unscrupulous firms during the Christmas holiday is the non-payment of the 13th month pay of their workers.

The 13th month pay is a legally mandated annual financial benefit all private sector workers should receive from their employers not later than December 24.

Magtubo explained the only condition for workers to qualify for the benefit is for them to have worked for at least one month for their employer.

Other common labor standards violations perpetrated by some companies are the non-payment of overtime and holiday pay of their employees, who are forced to work beyond their eighthour shift.