BY LESLIE ANN G. AQUINO
The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) directed Wednesday employers in the private sector which deferred the payment of holiday pay due to the existence of a national emergency arising from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) pandemic, to pay the holiday pay of their employees on or before December 31, 2020.
“Employers who were allowed to defer payment of the holiday pay of their employees are required to pay all covered employees of the deferred holiday pay equivalent to 100 percent of their daily wage,” read Labor Advisory 30-2020.
“Covered employers shall pay the qualified employees the deferred holiday pay on or before December 31, 2020,” it added.
In the past, the labor department issued labor advisories allowing employers to defer payment of the holiday pay until such time that the present emergency situation has been abated and the normal operations of the establishment is in place.
Establishments that have totally closed or ceased operation during the community quarantine period were also exempted from the payment of holiday pay imposed by the advisory.
These labor advisories were the following: Deferment of Payment of Holiday Pay for the April Holidays, Payment of Wages for the Regular Holiday on May 1, 2020, Payment of Wages for the Regular Holiday on May 25, 2020 in Observance of Eid’l Fitr (Feast of Ramadan), Payment of Wages for the Regular Holiday on June 12, 2020, Payment of Wages for the Regular Holiday on July 31, 2020 in Observance of Eid’l Adha (Feast of Sacrifice), Payment of Wages for the Special (Non Working) Day on August 21, 2020 and Regular Holiday on August 31, 2020; Payment of Wages for the Special (Non- Working) Days on November 1 & 2, 2020, and the Regular Holiday on Nov. 30, 2020. (Leslie Aquino)
