Presidential Decree No. 442 · May 1, 1974
The Labor Code of the Philippines, Every Article.
Presidential Decree 442 — signed by President Ferdinand Marcos on Labor Day, May 1, 1974 — is the supreme statute governing employment in the Philippines. Every overtime pay claim, illegal dismissal case, and minimum wage dispute traces back to this Code.
BatasKo has organized all 0 articles by book and added plain-language ELI5 summaries to the 301 most worker-critical articles. Start with Book III (working conditions) or Book VI (post-employment).
0
Total articles
301
With ELI5 guide
2023
As amended
Preliminary
Preliminary Title
Name, effectivity, construction, and foundational policy.
Arts. 1–11 · 0 articles
No articles indexed for this range yet.
Book I
Book I — Pre-Employment
Recruitment, placement, overseas deployment, and migrant worker protection.
Arts. 12–38 · 0 articles
No articles indexed for this range yet.
Book II
Book II — Human Resources Development
TESDA, apprenticeship programs, learnership, and skills training.
Arts. 39–80 · 0 articles
No articles indexed for this range yet.
Book III
Book III — Conditions of Employment
Working hours, overtime, night differential, wages, and minimum wage. Most worker-relevant.
Arts. 82–167 · 0 articles
No articles indexed for this range yet.
Book IV
Book IV — Health, Safety & Social Welfare
Occupational safety standards, ECC, SSS, and medical benefits.
Arts. 162–214 · 0 articles
No articles indexed for this range yet.
Book V
Book V — Labor Relations
Union rights, collective bargaining, unfair labor practice, NLRC, and strikes.
Arts. 211–277 · 0 articles
No articles indexed for this range yet.
Book VI
Book VI — Post-Employment
Security of tenure, dismissal grounds, separation pay, and retirement. Critical for every worker.
Arts. 278–302 · 0 articles
No articles indexed for this range yet.
Legend
Mandatory section
For OFWs / Para sa OFW
The Labor Code of the Philippines applies to employment contracts performed in the Philippines. Once you're deployed abroad, your primary protection comes from your POEA Standard Employment Contract and RA 8042 (Migrant Workers Act). But there are key ways the Labor Code still touches OFW life.
- OFW illegal dismissal cases are filed at the NLRC — RA 8042 gives you 4 years from the violation to file, even after you return to the Philippines.
- Before deployment, any recruitment agency that collects illegal placement fees or violates Art. 34 of the Labor Code is committing a crime. Report to the DMW (formerly POEA).
- If your contract was signed in the Philippines, Philippine courts and the NLRC may have jurisdiction even for incidents abroad — especially if your employer is a Philippine entity.
- POLO (Philippine Overseas Labor Office) handles contract violations abroad. They operate under the DMW and are based in Philippine embassies and consulates.
- Your OWWA membership (mandatory with every legal deployment) provides repatriation assistance, welfare loans, livelihood programs, and scholarship grants for your children.
Sources
Legal disclaimer: BatasKo provides general legal information, not legal advice. This content is for civic education only. For advice on your specific employment situation, consult a licensed Filipino lawyer or the Public Attorney's Office (PAO).