Labor groups hail move to pay workers during quarantine

FILE: A Jollibee restaurant at SLEX Sell Service Area, Muntinlupa City (Photo by Patrickroque01 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

MANILA – Labor groups on Thursday lauded the efforts of companies to cushion the effects of the work stoppage due to the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine on their workers and other stakeholders.

Arthur Juego, president of the Kilusan sa Jollibee Foods Corporation-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (KILUSAN-JFC-TUCP), rank-and-file employees union of the Filipino fast food chain, said the move boosts their morale.

“This will definitely free us from such anxiety and would enable us to tide things over. Thank you Jollibee,” he said in a statement.

JFC is providing PHP1 billion to pay for the one-month salary and 13th month pay to employees unable to work during the quarantine which is aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the country, the group said, citing an internal memo from the firm.

Meanwhile, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) president Raymond Mendoza is hoping that other companies would follow suit.

“The move will create a race to the top momentum and raise the reputation of the Jollibee brand to customers and compel other enterprises to do the same good company deed in the light of looming economic adversity for workers,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Associated Labor Unions (ALU) commended SM Supermalls and Robinsons for waiving the rental fees of mall tenants from March 16 to April 14 to enable these micro and small enterprises to pay in advance the salaries and 13th-month pay of their employees.

The group hailed business tycoon Manny Pangilinan for releasing in advance the 13th month pay for employees of PLDT, Smart and Manila Electric Company.

Other companies that released the salaries and 13th month pay of their employees are the Aboitiz Group of Companies, Asian Terminal/Solaire Resort Hotel, JG Summit and Gokongwei Group of Companies, Lucio Tan Group of Companies, and SMC Group of Companies.