PLDT Denies Defying DOLE order to Regularize Workers

Telecommunications firm PLDT Inc. denied that it disobeyed the order of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to regularize over 7,000 employees.

The telco firm said the DOLE clarificatory order to regularize workers without conditions, issued July 11, is invalid as it was not accorded due process of law.

“If this is the conclusion of the Clarificatory Order or this Honorable Office, then with due respect it is wrong. PLDT has not taken any act to ‘frustrate or tend to frustrate’ this Honorable Office’s regularization orders,” PLDT said in a statement Thursday.

The company said it has not received a notice from the DOLE to attend a meeting with its labor union, Manggagawa sa Komunikasyon sa Pilipinas.

“Regretfully, because the Clarificatory Order was issued immediately after this meeting with the MKP, it cannot escape the impression that the Order is based entirely on a factual position advocated by the MKP which is inaccurate and misleading. In all candor, these circumstances also increase PLDT’s concern that it will not receive a fair hearing on this matter before this Honorable Office,” according to PLDT.

The telco said it is currently conducting its intake process wherein workers are asked to provide information relevant to their employment such as Social Security, Philhealth, PAG-IBIG and Tax Identification Number (TIN) details, in a manner compliant with the data privacy law. It also asks employees to undergo a medical exam.

The process aims to determine if an employee is on the regularization list from DOLE and to verify that the person is the same as on the list.

The clarificatory order of DOLE was issued after receiving reports that the company is terminating a number of workers from its contractors to allegedly circumvent its order issued last April to regularize a total of 7,306 outsourced workers. The order was made after the department received reports of its labor law compliance inspectors that PLDT and its contractors are engaged in labor-only contracting activities.

Last May, PLDT has filed an appeal before the Court of Appeals (CA) to invalidate the DOLE order.

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. (PNA)