Construction worker na nagtrabaho nu’ng Mayo 1, dapat may holiday pay

ni Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta @Magtanong Kay Attorney | May 18, 2024

Dear Chief Acosta,

Nagtatrabaho ang aking kapatid bilang construction worker sa isang maliit na construction company. Arawan ang bayad sa kanila, ganunpaman ay tuluy-tuloy naman ang kanilang trabaho na mayroong dalawang araw na pahinga bawat linggo. Magsasampung buwan pa lamang siya sa kanyang pinapasukang kumpanya at nais niyang malaman kung makatatanggap siya ng holiday pay ng Mayo 1 na pinasukan niya. Hindi kasi malinaw ang paliwanag sa kanya ng kanyang mga kasamahan. Sana ay malinawan ninyo ako. -- Adam

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Dear Adam,

Ang holiday pay ay benepisyong pang-manggagawa na ipinagkakaloob sa ilalim ng Presidential Decree (P.D.) No. 442, o mas kilala bilang Labor Code of the Philippines. Partikular na nakasaad sa Artikulo 94 ng nasabing batas:

“ART. 94. Right to holiday pay. -- (a) Every worker shall be paid his regular daily wage during regular holidays, except in retail and service establishments regularly employing less than ten (10) workers;

(b) The employer may require an employee to work on any holiday but such employee shall be paid a compensation equivalent to twice his regular rate; x x x”

Upang higit kang malinawan, nais naming ibahagi ang mga alituntunin na nakasaad sa Book III, Rule IV ng Omnibus Rules Implementing the Labor Code:

“RULE IV

Holidays with Pay

SECTION 1. Coverage. — This rule shall apply to all employees except:

(a) Those of the government and any of the political subdivision, including government-owned and controlled corporation;

(b) Those of retail and service establishments regularly employing less than ten (10) workers;

(c) Domestic helpers and persons in the personal service of another;

(d) Managerial employees as defined in Book Three of the Code;

(e) Field personnel and other employees whose time and performance is unsupervised by the employer including those who are engaged on task or contract basis, purely commission basis, or those who are paid a fixed amount for performing work irrespective of the time consumed in the performance thereof.

x x x

SECTION 3. Holiday Pay. — Every employer shall pay his employees their regular daily wage for any worked regular holidays.

As used in the rule, the term ‘regular holiday’ shall exclusively refer to: New Year's Day, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the ninth of April, the first of May, the twelfth of June, the last Sunday of August, the thirtieth of November, the twenty-fifth and thirtieth of December. Nationwide special days shall include the first of November and the last day of December. x x x

SECTION 4. Compensation for holiday work. — Any employee who is permitted or suffered to work on any regular holiday, not exceeding eight (8) hours, shall be paid at least two hundred percent (200%) of his regular daily wage. If the holiday work falls on the scheduled rest day of the employee, he shall be entitled to an additional premium pay of at least 30% of his regular holiday rate of 200% based on his regular wage rate.

x x x” 

Alinsunod sa mga naibahaging probisyon ng batas, ang isang pribadong manggagawa, na hindi kabilang sa mga nabanggit na exceptions, ay makatatanggap ng holiday pay na katumbas ng 200% ng kanyang sahod para sa unang walong oras kung siya ay magtatrabaho sa alinmang itinakdang regular holiday; ang isa na nga rito ay ang unang araw ng Mayo na kinikilala bilang Araw ng Manggagawa o Labor Day. 

Nais na rin naming bigyang-diin na ang ginamit na mga salita ng batas ay “worker/workers” at “employee/employees”.  Kung kaya’t maging buwanan, lingguhan o arawan man na sumasahod ang manggagawa, kabilang na rito ang iyong kapatid, ay dapat siyang makatanggap ng nasabing benepisyo kung siya ay pumasok at ginampanan niya ang kanyang tungkulin sa nasabing Araw ng Manggagawa.

Sana ay nabigyan namin ng linaw ang iyong katanungan. Ang payong aming ibinigay ay base lamang sa mga impormasyon na iyong inilahad at maaaring magbago kung mababawasan o madaragdagan ang mga detalye ng iyong salaysay.

Maraming salamat sa iyong patuloy na pagtitiwala.