Amending Art. 287 of the Labor Code Re: Reduction of Retirement Age of Underground Mine Workers

February 26, 1998

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8558

AN ACT AMENDING ARTICLE 287 OF PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 442, AS AMENDED, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE LABOR CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES BY REDUCING THE RETIREMENT AGE OF UNDERGROUND MINE WORKERS FROM SIXTY (60) TO FIFTY (50)

 Article 287 of Presidential Decree No. 442, as amended, otherwise known as the Labor Code of the Philippines, is hereby amended to read as follows:

"ART. 287. Retirement. — Any employee may be retired upon reaching the retirement age established in the collective bargaining agreement or other applicable employment contract.

"In case of retirement, the employee shall be entitled to receive such retirement benefits as he may have earned under existing laws and any collective bargaining agreement and other agreements: Provided, however, That an employee's retirement benefits under any collective bargaining and other agreements shall not be less than those provided herein.

"In the absence of a retirement plan or agreement providing for retirement benefits of employees in the establishment, an employee upon reaching the age of sixty (60) years or more, but not beyond sixty-five (65) years which is hereby declared the compulsory retirement age, who has served at least five (5) years in the said establishment, may retire and shall be entitled to retirement pay equivalent to at least one-half (1/2) month salary for every year of service, a fraction of at least six (6) months being considered as one whole year.

"Unless the parties provide for broader inclusions, the term one-half (1/2) month salary shall mean fifteen (15) days plus one-twelfth (1/12) of the 13th month pay and the cash equivalent of not more than five (5) days of service incentive leaves.

"An underground mining employee upon reaching the age of fifty (50) years or more, but not beyond sixty (60) years which is hereby declared the compulsory retirement age for underground mine workers, who has served at least five (5) years as underground mine worker, may retire and shall be entitled to all the retirement benefits provided for in this Article.

"Retail, service and agricultural establishments or operations employing not more than ten (10) employees or workers are exempted from the coverage of this provision.

"Violation of this provision is hereby declared unlawful and subject to the penal provisions provided under Article 288 of this Code.

"Nothing in this Article shall deprive any employee of benefits to which he may be entitled under existing laws or company policies or practices."

 This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) national papers of general circulation, whichever comes earlier.

Approved: February 26, 1998

Published in Malaya and Manila Times on March 7, 1998.