Cebu-based companies continue to uphold worker rights in terms of Covid-19 vaccination, business chambers in the province assured.
This, as the labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) slammed some employers who allegedly adopted a “no vaccine, no salary” scheme.
“This is something worth looking into. I am sure it’s not Cebu companies. We have always been for the harmony between the employer and employee,” Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Felix Taguiam told SunStar Cebu.
Taguiam said they have not yet received reports of any incidents of “no vaccine, no salary” among companies.
TUCP on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021 urged the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) to punish the companies adopting this scheme.
Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) president Steven Yu said they also have not received any reported incident related to “no vax, no salary” in their community.
“We have been clear to the business community that per Dole, we cannot disallow entry or withhold salary because of vaccination status and it is against the law to do so,” Yu said.
The MCCI president said the Dole regional office in Central Visayas is in active coordination with them and the communication lines are very clear.
In terms of the vaccination campaign, Yu said they are doing their part to encourage more employees to get vaccinated, noting the lagging vaccination figures in Cebu.
The labor group issued the statement after several workers from different sectors sought help from them.
TUCP said under the scheme, some employers supposedly withhold the salary of unvaccinated employees until they are able to show the company supervisors their vaccination cards indicating that they are fully vaccinated.
TUCP president Raymond 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.
Meanwhile, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Tuesday, Oct. 19, that the reported “no vaccine, no salary” policy being implemented in a company in Metro Manila is “illegal.
Bello said not getting Covid-19 vaccination is not a legal basis for companies not to release the salary of their employees.
Bello urged workers who experienced the policy to report it to Dole for proper action.
He said companies implementing such a policy may be sanctioned.
On Monday, Oct. 18, Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said a group of employees in the National Capital Region informed them about the policy.
Tanjusay said the policy is unacceptable considering the still low vaccine supply in the country. (JOB / TPM / SunStar Philippines)