Can your employer require work on a rest day? Yes, if...

The employer may require any of its employees to work on their scheduled rest day for the duration of the following emergency and exceptional conditions:

a. In case of actual or impending emergencies caused by serious accident, fire, flood, typhoon, earthquake, epidemic or other disaster or calamity, to prevent loss of life and property, or in case of force majeure or imminent danger to public safety;
b. In case of urgent work to be performed on machineries, equipment, or installations, to avoid serious loss which the employer would otherwise suffer;
c. In the event of abnormal pressure of work due to special circumstances, where the employer cannot ordinarily be expected to resort to other measures;
d. To prevent serious loss of perishable goods;
e. Where the nature of the work is such that the employees have to work continuously for seven (7) days in a week or more, as in the case of the crew members of a vessel to complete a voyage and in other similar cases; and
f. When the work is necessary to avail of favorable weather or environmental conditions where performance or quality of work is dependent thereon.

No employee shall be required against his will to work on his scheduled rest day except under the circumstances provided therein where work on such day may be compelled.

However, in case work on rest day is required and not one of the said circumstances is present, the employee may work during such rest daybut only on voluntary basis. And once an employee volunteers to work on his rest day, he should express such willingness and desire to work in writing. Accordingly, he should be paid the additional compensation for working on his rest day under the law.