Duterte signs law on night differential pay for gov't workers

President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law the measure granting night shift differential pay to government employees, including those in Government Owned or Controlled Corporation (GOCC).

Republic Act 11701 provides that government employees shall be paid night shift differential at a rate not exceeding  20% of the hourly basic rate  of the employee.

The benefit covers division chiefs and below, or their equivalent, including those in GOCCs whether the nature of their employment is permanent, contractual, temporary, or casual.

The night differential pay will be determined by  the head of the agency, for each hour of work performed between the hours of 6:00 in the evening  and 6:00 in the morning of the following day, provided that the night shift differential pay provided under the law will be in addition to and shall not in any way diminish whatever benefits and allowances are presently enjoyed by government employees.

The law defines hourly basic rate as the basic salary rate per hour derived by dividing the basic monthly rate by 22 working days, and dividing the quotient derived by eight hours.

The following government employees, however, are not covered by the newly signed law:

• government employees whose schedule of office hours fall between 6:00 in the morning to 6:00 in the evening since services rendered beyond the regular eight-hour work schedules are paid overtime pay in accordance with existing laws, rules  and  regulations;  and
• government employees whose services are required, or are on call 24 hours a day such as uniformed personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and others similarly situated, as may· be determined by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Department of Budget and Management  (DBM).

The CSC, in coordination with the DBM, will release the guidelines for the release of the night differential pay. -NB, GMA News