The Labor department will support a proposed bill granting the 14th-month pay to employees in the private sector, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Thursday.
He said his department would be supporting the bill but will consider the interest of labor and management and its impact on the country’s economic stability if signed into law.
Bello also said the Security of Tenure Bill, landmark legislation that would prohibit all illegal employment schemes and the subcontracting of Filipino workers, was now awaiting the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte.
He said the bill might be signed into law by the President anytime soon.
Under the proposed bill granting the 14th-month pay, “rank-and-file employees regardless of their employment status and designation, and irrespective of the method by which their wages are paid”•provided they have worked at least one month during the calendar year””• are entitled to a 14th- month pay.
“We support anything that benefits our workers and their families. However, we must ensure that the proposal will not cause an imbalance between the needs of labor and the capability of employers. We must study it very well,” Bello said.
He said the proposed bill must be studied carefully and must undergo a tripartite assessment to find out its viability under the country’s economic situation. He emphasized the need to consider the capability of employers to pay.
