Labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno called on the Labor department to impose stricter measures against companies that implement both the “no vaccine, no salary” and the “no vaccine, no work” policies.
“The ‘no vaccine, no salary’ policy is a direct violation of the Labor Code, the prohibition against elimination or diminution of benefits,” said Elmer Labog, KMU chairperson.
Several companies have reportedly refused to pay the salaries of unvaccinated employees and demanded that the workers show their vaccination cards.
In March, the Labor department issued an advisory warning companies that forced vaccination of workers is prohibited.
“What the workers need now is the assurance of strict intervention by the Labor department,” said Labog in a statement on Wednesday, October 10.
He said KMU will continue to monitor and compile complaints of the “no vaccine, no salary” and the “no vaccine, no work” policies.
Earlier on Monday, several senators expressed their opposition to the policy that was supposedly being implemented by a company in Metro Manila.
Senator Joel Villanueva called on the Department of Labor and Employment to look into the report, noting that companies enforcing the policy should be penalized.
“Workers not being paid just because they are unvaccinated is patently illegal and inhumane, plain and simple,” said the senator.
Senator Franklin Drilon said a vaccination card is “not a daily time record that is a primary document to prove that a work has been rendered.”
“Once a work or service is rendered, a company has an obligation under the law to pay the employee,” said Drilon.
Senator Risa Hontiveros said getting vaccinated should never be a requirement in work places, considering that there is still insufficient supply of COVID-19 vaccines for the public.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, meanwhile, urged workers to report employers that are imposing a “no vaccine, no salary” policy.
He assured the public that his department will investigate business establishments refusing to pay employers due to non-vaccination.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines earlier called on the Labor department to conduct an investigation into employers who have been withholding the salary of their employees until they can prove that they were already fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
