June 20 Special Non-Working Day Pay Rule

Today, June 20, 2011, is a special non-working day by virtue of Proclamation 154, emphasizin the special national and historical importance of the 150th birth anniversary of the Philippine's national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal.

As such, private companies and employers must observe the appropriate pay rules for special non-working days set by the Deparment of Labor and Employment , such as today.

If Monday, June 20, 2011 is worked, an employee is entitled to 130 percent of his daily rate for the first eight hours, and to an additional 30 percent of his hourly rate on the said day for work performed in excess of eight hours.

If unworked, the worker or employee is not entitled to any payment, unless there is a favorable company policy, practice or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) granting payment for special days even if not worked;

If worked and it falls on the employee's rest day, the employee or worker is entitled for the first eight hours to 150 percent of his or her regular daily rate, and for work performed in excess of 8 hours, plus 30 percent of his or her hourly rate on the said day.

Any question or feedback? Call the DOLE Call Center at Hotline 2917 from your Globe or TM mobile phones, 908-2917 from your fixed-line phones for free, or text (SMS) at 2910; you may also inquire from the nearest DOLE regional office in your regions (400-6242 for the DOLE-National Capital Region (NCR office), or call or visit the Bureau of Working Conditions (BWC) located at 3/F, DOLE Building, Muralla Street cor. General Luna Street, Intramuros, Manila, tel. no. 527-3000, local 301.

From the Department of Labor & Employment (DOLE) advisory.

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Are You a Filipino Wanting to Work Abroad? Check out 76 OFW Friendly Countries identified by POEA

If you are one of the many Filipinos dreaming of gaining a highly compensated employment overseas, the Philippine Overseas and Employment Administration (POEA) listed 76 destinations that it considers "OFW friendly".

GMAnews.tv reported that POEA has identified the following 76 nations to be OFW friendly.

Albania Angola Argentina Australia ustria Azerbaijan Belgium Belize Bolivia Bosnia-Herzegovina Brazil Brunei Canada Chile Columbia Costa Rica Cyprus Czech Republic Ecuador Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Guam

Guatemala Guyana Hong Kong Hungary Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Kenya Laos Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxemburg Macau Malaysia Maldives Marshall Islands Mexico Myanmar Namibia New Zealand Northern Marianas Oman

Palau Paraguay Peru Poland Portugal Romania Russian Federation San Marino Slovak Republic Slovenia South Africa South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Suriname Sweden Switzerland Taiwan The Netherlands Turkey UK USA Uruguay Venezuela Vietnam

POEA named these nations based on three requirements provided for in RA 10022 (the amended Migrant Workers Act). Section 3 of RA 10022 that the Philippines will allow deployment if the host country:

• Has existing labor and social laws protecting the rights of workers;
• Is a signatory to and/or a ratifier of multilateral conventions, declarations or resolutions relating to the protection of workers; and
• Has concluded a bilateral agreement or arrangement with the government on the protection of the rights of OFWs.

The list does not contain the more known OFW deployment destinations such as Saudi Arabia, UAE(Dubai) and our southeast Asian neighbor, Singapore. Exclusion from the list does not mean banning of deployment.

Also, a number of countries from this list, can not be found in POEA's database list of countries with approved job orders. The POEA needs to work on updating them.

For me the list signifies that OFWs are a recognized workforce worldwide. I guess POEA just wanted to point out that there other countries beside the Middle East nations where a lot of tensions are going on at present.

OFWs should consider peace and stability when choosing a country to work for. And this list of 76 OFW friendly countries can serve as reference for them.

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Black Saturday - Special Non-Working Day - Pay Guide

This is for those locally employed in the Philippines.

Were you required to report to work this Black Saturday (April 23, 2011)? It was declared by Pres. Benigno Aquino III to be a special non-working day.

Here's how you should be paid for that specific day.

You are entitled to 130% of your daily rate for the first 8 hours and to an additional 30% of your hourly rate on the said for overtime work rendered.

If Black Saturday falls on your rest day, you are entitled to 150% of your regular daily rate for the first 8 hours plus 30% of your hourly rate on the said for overtime work.

If you did not report to work on this day, you are not entitled to any payment unless it is company policy to do so or part of the collective bargaining agreement between the company and its employees states that payments should still be issued for special non-working days even if not worked.

From the Department of Labor & Employment (DOLE) advisory.

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Repatriated OFWs from Libya Gets A Few Good Breaks

Repatriated OFWs from Libya really deserves a few good breaks to go their way.

The government promised to grant them Php 10,000 financial assistance, loan assistance and to prioritize them for reemployment either abroad or locally.

The jobs or opportunities lost by repatriated OFWs from Libya may not be replaced. At least, not immediately. But, I guess, they can be thankful to be safely back at home and receive some focused attention from the government.

First, the displaced OFWs from Libya will get a finacial relief assistance worth Php 10, 000 thru OWWA. To avail of the assistance, they just need to present their passports or travel documents or two valid IDs with photo.

The availing of this one-time grant will only take a day and is now available at OWWA regional welfare offices.

Definitley, the financial assistance is a small sum. The government promised to provide loan assistance.

Last and more importantly, these displaced OFWs from Libya will be prioritized to be rehired for overseas employment as promised by licensed recruitment agencies who deployed them to Libya.

Should they decided to stay, they will also be prioritized for livelihood programs and local jobs as promised by the DOLE.

List of Repatriated Filipino Nationals from Libya from the DOLE website.

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Filipino Seafarer Claim Due Benefits, Aided by Phil. Consulate in Colombo

Join me in lauding the officials of the Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Colombo in Sri Lanka for helping a Filipino Seafarer in claiming his insurance and back wages from a Sri Lankan shipping firm.

Mr. Henry Laguardia served aboard the M/V Brillante Virtuoso, where he met an accident and suffered burns.

The consulate there and, I believe his manning agency - the Status Maritime Corp- both helped Mr. Laguardia rightfully claim his due compensation and benefits from the Ceyline Shipping Limited who owned the ship.

This is a good example of the government and the manning agency helping our Filipino seafarers or OFWs in general.

Filipino seafarers are amongst the best when it comes to maritime skills. They rightfully deserve the support of the government and their agencies because of they are a big help to the economy and a source of pride for serving well in their capacity.


This DFA report was referenced for this post.

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High-Demand-Jobs.com Welcomes 2011

This 2011, we aim to provide you with more employment opportunities, high demand jobs and other job related news and information.

Here's to more job opportunities and better employment in 2011.

Image from here.

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Workers' Benefits

One of the benefits enjoyed by immigrants and citizens of first world countries like the US and Canada is that workers are taken cared of better.

In Canada,they have the Employment Insurance (EI). Employment Insurance provides temporary financial assistance for unemployed Canadians while they look for work or upgrade their skills.

In Arizona, they have Arizona Unemployment Insurance (AZUI). Those in Arizona are entitled to a weekly claims as a support to those who lost their jobs.

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