TUCP slams 'no vaccine, no salary' policy of some employers

THE Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) on Sunday, October 17, 2021, slammed some employers for adopting a "no vaccine, no salary" scheme.

In a statement, TUCP president Raymond Mendoza called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to take action against companies that are withholding the salaries of unvaccinated employees.

"The TUCP strongly condemns workplace arm-twisting being done by these employers. This is clearly an act of reprehensible discrimination and harassment imposed on helpless workers," said Mendoza.

"The DOLE must act immediately before this practice spreads and becomes a norm," he added.

One swift action against the unlawful scheme, the labor leader said, is for DOLE to issue an advisory similar to the one promulgated against the "no vaccine, no work".

"We urge Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III to issue a labor advisory clearly outlining the fines and imprisonment imposable on employers for withholding the salaries of unvaccinated employees," said Mendoza.

TUCP issued the statement after several workers from different sectors sought the held of the labor group.

Under the scheme, some employers supposedly withhold the salary of unvaccinated employees until they have shown to the company supervisors their vaccination cards indicating that they are fully vaccinated.

Mendoza said such a scheme is against the Labor Code of the Philippines, which provides that it is unlawful for any person to withhold any amount from the wages of a worker without the worker's consent.

"Withholding worker's wage and denying employees' full compensation for work performed or rendered is not only a violation of the Labor Code, but obviously also a human rights violation," said Mendoza.

Similarly, he pointed how the "no vaccine, no wage" scheme violates the Covid-19 Vaccination Program Law.

"The law states that vaccine cards shall not be considered as an additional mandatory requirement for education, employment, and other similar government transaction purposes," Mendoza said. (HDT / SunStar Philippines)

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