G.R. No. 199554
February 18, 2015
ZENAIDA PAZ, Petitioner, vs. NORTHERN TOBACCO REDRYING CO., INC., AND/OR ANGELO ANG, Responden R espondents. ts.
Facts: Northern Tobacco Redrying Co., Inc. (NTRCI), a flue-curing and redrying of tobacco leaves business, hired Zenaida Paz (Paz) sometime in 1974 as a seasonal sorter, paid P185.00 daily. NTRCI regularly re-hired her every tobacco season since then. On May 18, 2003, 2003 ,6 Paz was 63 years old when NTRCI informed her that she was considered retired under company policy. policy.7 A year year later, NTRCI NTRCI told her her she would would receive P12,000.00 P12,000.00 as retirement retirement 8 pay. pay. Paz, with two other complainants, filed a Complaint for illegal dismissal against NTRCI on March 4, 2004.9 She amended her Complaint on April 27, 2004 into a Complaint for payment of retirement benefits, damages, and attorney’s fees fee s10 as P12,000.00 seemed inadequate for her 29 years of service. NTRCI countered that no Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) existed between NTRCI and its workers. Thus, it computed the retirement pay of its seasonal workers based on Article 287 of the Labor Code. Code.14 NTRCI raised the requirement of at least six months of service a year for that year to be considered in the retirement pay computation. It claimed that Paz only worked for at least six months in 1995, 1999, and 2000 out of the 29 years she rendered service . Thus, Paz’s retirement pay amounted to P12,487.50 after multiplying her P185.00 daily salary by 221/2 working days in a month, for three years. years.15 Labor Arbiter – Arbiter – confirmed confirmed the 12,487.00 computation. NLRC – NLRC – modified LA’s decision Zenaida Paz[’s] retirement pay should be computed pursuant to RA 7641 and that all the months she was engaged to work for respondent for the last twenty eight (28) years should be added and divide[d] by six (for a fraction of six months is considered as one year) to get the number of years [for] her retirement pay[ Court of Appeals - modified the National Labor Relations Commission’s Decision in that "financial assistance is awarded to . . . Zenaida Paz in the amount of P60,356.25 WHEREFORE, the Petition is hereby DISMISSED. The Decision dated 8 December 2008 and Resolution dated 16 September 2009 of the National Labor Relations Commission in NLRC CA No. 046642-05(5) are MODIFIED in that (1) financial assistance is awarded to private respondent Zenaida Paz in the amount of 60,356.25; and (2) the dismissal of private respondent Teresa Lopez is declared illegal, and thus, she is awarded backwages and separation pay, in accordance with the foregoing discussion.
EMMANUEL G. BACCAY, MBA, CPA
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It discussed jurisprudence on financial assistance and deemed it appropriate to apply the formula: One half-month pay multiplied by 29 years of service divided by two yielded P 60,356.25 as Paz’s retirement pay.24 Issues/Ruling: Supreme Court: 1. It first ruled WON Paz, a season employee, is considered as a regular seasonal employee. The Court said that it may appear that the work of the petitioners is seasonal but she was regularly rehired as a sorter during tobacco seasons for 29 years since 1974. Further, her services as a sorter was necessary and indispensable to respondent;s business of flue-curing and redrying tobacco leaves. In a litany of cases this Court has already settled that seasonal workers who are called to work from time to time and are temporarily laid off during off- season are not separated from service in said period, but are merely considered on leave until re-employed Moreover, for respondents to be excluded from those classified as regular employees, it is not enough that they perform work or services that are seasonal in nature. They must have also been employed only for the duration of one season. . . . Evidently, petitioners employed respondents for more than one season. Therefore, the general rule of regular employment is applicable. Since he was considered as a regular seasonal employee, she is entitled to rights under Art. 279 of the Labor Code: Art. 279. Security of Tenure. In cases of regular employment, the employer shall not terminate the services of an employee except for a just cause or when authorized by this Title. An employee who is unjustly dismissed from work shall be entitled to reinstatement without loss of seniority rights and other privileges and to his full backwages, inclusive of allowances, and to his other benefits or their monetary equivalent computed from the time his compensation was withheld from him up to the time of his actual reinstatement. 2. Illegal dismissal and backwages Petitioner Paz initially filed a Complaint for illegal dismissal seeking separation pay, but later amended her Complaint into one for payment of retirement pay . 54 Despite the amendment, she maintained in her subsequent pleadings that she had been made to retire even before she reached the compulsory retirement age of 65 under Article 287, as amended .55 Since petitioner Paz was "unlearned and not knowledgeable in law, [she] just accepted such fact and waited to be paid her separation/retirement benefit as promised by . . . NTRCI. "57 Unfortunately, after a year of waiting, respondent NTRCI only offered her around P12,000.00 for all her services since 1974.58 Petitioner Paz’s amendment of her Complaint was not fatal to her cause of action for illegal dismissal. First, petitioner Paz never abandoned her argument that she had not reached the compulsory retirement age of 65 pursuant to Article 287, as amended, when respondent NTRCI made her retire on May 18, 2003. EMMANUEL G. BACCAY, MBA, CPA
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Second, the National Labor Relations Commission found that respondent NTRCI failed to prove a valid company retirement policy, yet it required its workers to retire after they had reached the age of 60.60 Petitioner Paz was only 63 years old on May 18, 2003 with two more years remaining before she would reach the compulsory retirement age of 65. Consequently, if "the intent to retire is not clearly established or if the retirement is involuntary, it is to be treated as a discharge."63 Again, petitioner Paz never abandoned her argument of illegal dismissal despite the amendment of her Complaint. This implied lack of intent to retire until she reached the compulsory age of 65. Thus, she should be considered as illegally dismissed from May 18, 2003 until she reached the compulsory retirement age of 65 in 2005 and should be entitled to full backwages for this period. An award of full backwages is "inclusive of allowances and other benefits or their monetary equivalent, from the time their actual compensation was withheld. . . ."65 Backwages, considered as actual damages,66 requires proof of the loss suffered. The Court of Appeals found "no positive proof of the total number of months that she actually rendered work."67 Nevertheless, petitioner Paz’s daily pay of 185.00 was established. She also alleged that her employment periods ranged from three to seven months .68 Since the exact number of days petitioner Paz would have worked between May 18, 2003 until she would turn 65 in 2005 could not be determined with specificity, this court thus awards full backwages in the amount of P22,200.00 computed by multiplying 185.00 by 20 days, then by three months, then by two years. 3. Due process and nominal damages The Labor Code requires employers to comply with both procedural and substantive due process in dismissing employees. Hence, the rule on two (2) notices and hearing must be followed. There was no showing that respondent NTRCI complied with these due process requisites. Thus, consistent with jurisprudence,80 petitioner Paz should be awarded P30,000.00as nominal damages. 4. Retirement pay An employer may provide for retirement benefits in an agreement with its employees such as in a Collective Bargaining Agreement. Otherwise, Article 287 of the Labor Code, as amended, governs. Since respondent NTRCI failed to present a copy of a Collective Bargaining Agreement on the alleged retirement policy,81 we apply Article 287 of the Labor Code, as amended by Republic Act No. 7641. This provides for the proper computation of retirement benefits in the absence of a retirement plan or agreement:82 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. EMMANUEL G. BACCAY, MBA, CPA
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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 .83 (Emphasis supplied) While the present case involves retirement pay and not separation pay, Article 287 of the Labor Code on retirement pay similarly provides that "a fraction of at least six (6) months being considered as one whole year." Thus, this court’s reading of this proviso in the Labor Code in Philippine Tobacco applies in this case . An employee must have rendered at least six months in a year for said year to be considered in the computation. The Court of Appeals found "no positive proof o[n] the total number of months [petitioner Paz] actually rendered work [for respondent NTRCI]. "95 On the other hand, both the Labor Arbiter and the Court of Appeals established from the records that she rendered at least six months of service for 1995, 1999, and 2000 only.96 Based on these factual findings, retirement pay pursuant to Article 287 of the Labor Code was correctly computed at 12,487.50 and was awarded to petitioner Paz. 5. Financial assistance In addition, this court agrees with the Court of Appeals’ award of financial assistanc e in the amount of 60,356.25 97by applying the following formula: one-half-month pa y98 multiplied by 29 years in service and then divided by 2.99 The amount of P12,487.50 is indeed too meager to support petitioner Paz who has become old, weak, and unable to find employment.100 Republic Act No. 7641 is a social legislation101 with the purpose of "provid[ing] for the retiree’s sustenance and hopefully even comfort, when he [or she] no longer has the stamina to continue earning his [or her] livelihood."102 Private respondent Paz rendered almost three decades of dedicated service to petitioner, and to that, she gave away the prime of her life. In those long years of hard work, not a single transgression or malfeasance of any company rule or regulation was ever reported against her. In awarding retirement benefits, the NLRC deemed it proper to add all the months of service rendered by private respondent Paz, then divide it by six to arrive at the number of years of service. We cannot, however, subscribe to this computation because there is no positive proof of the total number of months that she actually rendered work.103(Emphasis supplied, citations omitted) At most, the Petition alleges that "[p]etitioner [was] regularly hired every season by respondents, her employment periods ranging from three (3) to seven (7) months. "104 None of the lower courts, not even the National Labor Relations Commission that proposed the formula, made a factual determination on the total number of months petitioner Paz rendered actual service. In any event, this court has awarded financial assistance "as a measure of social justice [in] exceptional circumstances, and as an equitable concession ."105
EMMANUEL G. BACCAY, MBA, CPA
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This court has discussed that "labor law determinations are not only secundum rationem but also secundum caritatem."113 The award of P60,356.25 as financial assistance will serve its purpose in providing petitioner Paz sustenance and comfort after her long years of service. Finally, legal interest of 6% per annum shall be imposed on the award of full backwages beginning May 18, 2003 when petitioner Paz was deemed retired, until 2005 when she reached compulsory retirement age, in the amount of P2,664.00 114 Legal interest of 6% per annum shall also be imposed on the award of retirement pay beginning 2005 until full satisfaction. WHEREFORE, the Court of Appeals Decision is AFFIRMED with MODIFICATION in that respondent Northern Tobacco Redrying Co., Inc. is hereby ordered to pay petitioner Zenaida Paz the following: (1) P22,200.00 as full backwages; (2) P30,000.00 as nominal damages for non-compliance with due process; (3) Pl2,487.50 as retirement pay; (4) P60,356.25 as financial assistance; and (5) P2,664.00 as legal interest for the award of full backwages, and legal interest of 6% per annum for the award of retirement pay beginning 2005 until full satisfaction.
EMMANUEL G. BACCAY, MBA, CPA
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