Labor groups strongly opposed giving some businesses exemptions from the payment of 13th month pay during the meeting of the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (NTIPC) on Tuesday.
TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said it is not only the companies that are suffering but also the workers during this pandemic.
"We also told them not to change the 13th month pay because workers expect this especially during Christmas," he said in a statement.
"Let us see if the DOLE will still issue a policy regarding the 13th month despite the strong opposition from labor organizations and workers," added Tanjusay.
The NTIPC composed of labor groups, business and employers, and governmen met Tuesday to discuss the issue on 13th month pay, among others.
Nagkaisa Labor Coalition Chairman Sonny Matula, meantime, said that the labor and employers sectors agreed to the proposal of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) for the government to subsidize the 13th month payment of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to their employees.
"The trade unions said we support that proposal. We agreed on that one," he said.
"This may cover the SMEs that have been in distress during this pandemic. Nobody objected to it," Matula added.
The ECOP earlier said that some 2 million workers may be unable to get their 13th month pay due to the losses suffered by companies during the long lockdowns.