Vaccination not needed for payment of wages

MANILA, Philippines — Withholding workers’ salaries because they are not yet vaccinated is illegal, a Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) official said on Tuesday. Lawyer Benjo Santos Benavidez, undersecretary for labor relations, social protection, and policy support cluster, said it was already investigating complaints from labor groups regarding the “no vaccine, no pay’ scheme. He said employers would be liable for criminal and administrative cases for nonpayment of wages if the complaints are verified. Santos said the DOLE and its regional offices had been inspecting various companies and they never encountered such a complaint. The DOLE will also conduct information drive about the illegality of the “no vaccine, no pay” scheme through social media. Benavidez also reminded employers against discriminating unvaccinated workers for the purpose of hiring, deployment or promotion. The only exemptions from the policy, according to Benavidez, are establishments required by the government to only deploy workers who are vaccinated.

—Jerome Aning