Bello says “no jab-no pay” illegal, urges workers to report such incidents

A health worker prepares a dose of the BioNtech Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine during a vaccination for seafarers at a stadium in Manila on July 15, 2021. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)

(Eagle News) — Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III urged workers who have not been receiving any pay from their employers because of their failure to get vaccinated, to report this to the Department of Labor and Employment.

Bello said that non-payment of wages just because a worker had not yet received a vaccine is illegal.

Yung hindi pagkabakuna, hindi legal basis yun,” Bello stressed in an interview with the NET25-Radyo Agila program “Ano Sa Palagay ‘Nyo?” on Tuesday, Oct. 19.

Kung may ganun mang pangyayari, all that the worker has to do is to call us,” he said.

Bello said so far they have not yet received any report regarding non-payment of wages just bacause a worker is not yet vaccinated.

“Wala naman kaming natatanggap na ganung report, walang reklamo,” he said.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) first raised this issue, saying that they have been receiving complaints from unvaccinated workers who claimed that their employers had been withholding their salaries because they failed to get inoculated against Covid-19.

“(We) strongly condemn as inhuman and illegal the ‘no vaccine, no salary’ scheme imposed by employers on their unvaccinated employees,” TUCP said in a statement.

(Eagle News Service)