Holy Week holiday pay can be deferred – DOLE
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) stated that employers can defer the Holy Week holiday pay amid the enhanced community quarantine due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Employees are supposed to received additional pay on April 9 to 11, however, this might not be the same situation during the EQC as many establishments were forced to close temporarily.
In line with this, based on the report from ABS-CBN, employers can defer the payment of holiday pay that employees usually receive during Holy Week.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said that those businesses that suspended their operations amid the health crisis are exempted from the payment of holiday pay. Previously, the wages commission stated that employees are supposed to received 300 percent of their daily rate on April 9.
The said date caters two holidays, the Maundy Thursday and Day of Valor or Araw ng Kagitingan, based on the report.
Previously, DOLE stated that EQC affected workers may receive cash assistance this week. Informal workers such as vendors and drivers were greatly affected when the community quarantine was implemented.
.“Ito nabigyan na sila so dumadami na. Ine-expect namin, within the week, itong week na ito, makapagbigay kami, ang preferred naming amount is P1.5 billion,” Secretary Bello stated.
Apparently, the Holy Week holiday pay is not the only usual thing affected by the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In a previous report, the Department of Education (DepEd) also stated that the June opening of classes for the 2020-2021 academic year is still uncertain.
The education department is still consulting the regional directors in order to come up with a concrete remedy if the health crisis will last until May.
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