The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reminds employers that employees who will be vaccinated during the three-day National Vaccination Day should not be considered as absent.

"Those who will get their vaccination from (November) 29, 30 or December 1, they should not be considered as absent as long as they show the proof of their vaccination on any of those days," Assistant Labor Secretary Maria Teresita Cucueco said during the virtual ''Laging Handa'' public briefing on Thursday.

Cucueco said this was included in the Presidential Proclamation no. 1253 declared November 29 to December 1 as National Covid-19 vaccinations days.

She explained that the government and private sector may require their employees who participated during the National Vaccination Days to submit proof they were vaccinated.

"Maybe after all of these the company may ask for compliance for their employees who got vaccinated," he said.

Cucueco also reiterates that being unvaccinated cannot become a ground for the dismissal of an employee.

"It cannot become grounds for termination for a worker who does not want to get vaccinated. In the Labor Code there are authorized and just causes for termination and it does not include the unvaccinated.

Cucueco said those who are unvaccinated will just have to get their regular RT-PCR testing if they are working on site.

"If they do not want to undergo RT-PCR and they do not work-from-home-- because those who work from home were not required to undergo RT PCR-- but if there is no work-from-home schedule (and they) opt to use their leave if they still have leave credits. They will still be paid," she said. Robina Asido/DMS