December 24 is a special non-working holiday

The main office of the Department of Labor and Employment (Photo from DOLE via Inquirer.net)

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Christmas Eve, which falls on December 24, this year is a special non-working holiday, a memorandum from the Malacañang announced.

Special non-working days are also holidays but they differ from regular holidays. These are holidays that often do not have fixed dates, and need proclamations in order to be considered as holidays.

For 2024, there are 11 special non-working holidays, including Christmas Eve.

When workers report for duty on regular holidays, the law mandates their employers to pay them 200 percent of their salary for that day.

For special non-working holidays, employees can get an additional 30 percent.

For those who opt to spend the regular holidays away from work, they still get paid.

In special non-working holidays, however, the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy applies.

But the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) noted that some companies still pay their employees their full daily wage when they do not report for duty on special non-working holidays.

“lf the employee does not work, the “no work, no pay” principle shall apply unless there is a favorable company policy, practice, or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) granting payment on a special day,” DOLE’s Advisory No. 14 read.

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A Christmas celebration in the mountains