Heads Up: February 9 Is a Special Non-Working Day

(SPOT.ph) In celebration of the upcoming Chinese New Year, a.k.a. the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunar Chinese calendar, Malacañang has announced February 9, 2024 as a special non-working day throughout the country.

Malacañang officially declared the special non-working day through Proclamation No. 453, signed by the President, and Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on January 18. The proclamation acknowledges the importance of the occasion, stating, "It will give the people the full opportunity to celebrate the Chinese New Year and enable our countrymen to avail of the benefits of a longer weekend."

Proclamation No. 368, dated October 11, 2023, also declared February 10, 2024,  Saturday, a special non-working day throughout the country.

What is a special non-working day?

As stated by the Department of Labor and Employment, these are the following pay rules on special non-working day:

• If the employee did not work, the “no work, no pay” principle shall apply, unless there is a company policy, practice, or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) granting payment on a special day.
• For work done during the special day, he/she shall be paid an additional 30 percent of his/her basic wage on the first eight hours of work [(basic wage x 130%) + COLA].
• For work done more than eight hours (overtime work), he/she shall be paid an additional 30 percent of his/her hourly rate on the said day [hourly rate of the basic wage x 130% x 130% x number of hours worked].
• If an employee works on a special day that also falls on his/her rest day, he/she shall be paid an additional 50 percent of his/her basic wage on the first eight hours of work [(basic wage x 150%) + COLA].
• For overtime work on a special day that also falls on his/her rest day, he/she shall be paid an additional 30 percent of his/her hourly rate on the said day [Hourly rate of the basic wage x 150% x 130% x number of hours worked].