DOLE releases wage guidelines for April holidays

National

MANY Filipino workers can expect higher pay this April as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has released the official wage guidelines for the upcoming regular and special holidays.

Under Labor Advisory No. 04, Series of 2025, DOLE outlined the pay rules for four regular holidays: April 1 (Eid’l Fitr), April 9 (Araw ng Kagitingan), April 17 (Maundy Thursday), and April 18 (Good Friday). April 19 (Black Saturday) has also been declared a special non-working day, based on Proclamation No. 839, Series of 2025, and Proclamation No. 727, Series of 2024.

For regular holidays, employees who do not work are entitled to 100 percent of their daily wage, provided they were present or on paid leave on the workday immediately before the holiday.

If the preceding day is a rest day or a company-declared non-working day, workers will still receive holiday pay as long as they reported to work or were on paid leave on the last working day before the break.

Employees who report for duty on a regular holiday must be paid 200 percent of their daily wage for the first eight hours.

Those who work beyond eight hours are entitled to an additional 30 percent of their hourly rate.

If the holiday falls on an employee’s rest day, an extra 30 percent will be added on top of the 200 percent pay.

Overtime work on such a day must be compensated with an additional 30 percent of the hourly rate.

For the special non-working day on April 19, the “no work, no pay” policy will apply unless a company policy, existing practice, or collective bargaining agreement states otherwise.

Employees who work on Black Saturday must receive an additional 30 percent of their basic wage for the first eight hours. Overtime hours will be compensated with an extra 30 percent of the hourly rate.

If the special non-working day falls on an employee’s rest day, they will receive an additional 50 percent of their basic wage.

Overtime work on a special non-working day that coincides with a rest day must be compensated with an additional 30 percent of the hourly rate.

DOLE has urged employers to adhere to these wage rules to ensure fair compensation for employees working on the declared holidays.(TGP)