Employers paying workers with coins? Legal?
In case a customer attempts to pay a 90-peso burger at McDonald's with 90 pieces of one-peso (PHP1.00) coins, the latter cannot refuse to receive the same because of what is known as the rule of "legal tender" of coins.
Legal tender power means that the currency is offered in payment of a debt, public or private, the same must be accepted. Philippine currency notes have no limit to their legal tender power. In particular, all notes and coins issued by the BSP shall be fully guaranteed by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and shall be legal tender in the Philippines for all debts, both public and private, as stipulated under Section 52 of R.A No. 7653. However, in the case of coins in denomination of 1-, 5-, and 10-Piso they shall be legal tender in amounts not exceeding PHP1,000.00 while coins in denomination of 1-, 5-, 10-, and 25-Sentimo shall be legal tender in amounts not exceeding PHP100.00, pursuant to BSP Circular No. 537, Series of 2008.[1]
Legal tender power means that the currency is offered in payment of a debt, public or private, the same must be accepted. Philippine currency notes have no limit to their legal tender power. In particular, all notes and coins issued by the BSP shall be fully guaranteed by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and shall be legal tender in the Philippines for all debts, both public and private, as stipulated under Section 52 of R.A No. 7653. However, in the case of coins in denomination of 1-, 5-, and 10-Piso they shall be legal tender in amounts not exceeding PHP1,000.00 while coins in denomination of 1-, 5-, 10-, and 25-Sentimo shall be legal tender in amounts not exceeding PHP100.00, pursuant to BSP Circular No. 537, Series of 2008.[1]
When it comes to payment to workers, the same rule applies.
In June 2021, ABS-CBN News on Twitter reported: "Factory worker Russel Mañosa shows the bag of 5 and 10 centavo coins his employer paid him, amounting to P1,056 for two days work. Feeling insulted and demeaned, he has since quit the company and is now looking for a new job."[2] The same news agency reported that Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III sent an email saying that the payment in coins can be considered legal but his office would look into Next Green Factory and conduct an inspection. Bello branded the company's act as "discrimination."[3]
[1] BSP (2020). Frequenty Asked Questions. https://ift.tt/3jJC04q. Last accessed: September 06, 2021 at 1:53PM.
[2] https://twitter.com/ABSCBNNews/status/1409778282220777472.
[3] Jauhn Etienne Villaruel (2021). Valenzuela factory worker seeks help after receiving salary in centavo coins. ABS-CBN News. https://ift.tt/3BZDjTd. Last accessed September 06, 2021 at 2:03PM.
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