PLDT: DOLE Order to Regularize 7k Employees to Disrupt Ops

The order of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for telecommunications firm PLDT Inc. to stop in engaging in subcontracting activities and regularize more than 7,000 employees will disrupt the company’s operations.

PLDT denied that it has terminated its service contracts as the DOLE has also ordered its contractors to cease and desist from providing their services.

“The DOLE order and its recently issued Writ of Execution categorically ordering 38 of PLDT’s service contracts to cease and desist from further engaging in contracting and subcontracting activities…. These actions, if pursued by DOLE, would effectively shut down these companies, and displace not only the workers deployed to PLDT but also thousands of other workers assigned to other principals,” the company said in a statement Wednesday.

PLDT has filed an appeal before the Court of Appeals (CA) last May to invalidate the DOLE order dated April 30 mandating the company to regularize 7,306 employees.

The Labor Department has also ordered 38 service contractors of PLDT to cease on engaging in labor-only contracting.

Among the contractors were Activeone Health Inc., Aremay Enterprise, BBS-VPN Allied Services Corporation Philippines, Best Options Assistance, Inc., Comworks Inc., Consolidated Management Resources, Curo Teknika Inc., and Diar’s Assistance Inc.

Some 23 affected service contractors have also questioned the legality and the validity of the DOLE order before the CA.

The telco is currently reviewing the status of the employees that were covered in the DOLE order.

“While PLDT awaits judicial relief from the CA, PLDT is carrying out an orderly and effective intake process in response to the DOLE order. This process involves the proper identification of individuals named in the DOLE order and establishing their respective qualifications and fitness for work,” PLDT said.

“PLDT will continue to exert its best efforts in good faith to resolve these issues, bearing in mind the welfare of the affected workers and PLDT’s own employees, its commitments to trade partners like its 38 service contractors, and its duty to deliver quality services to its customers,” it added. (PLDT PR)