DOLE orders PLDT to regularize almost 9,000 employees

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Thursday ordered Philippine Long Distance Telephone Inc. (PLDT) to immediately regularize its nearly 9,000 contractual employees.

“PLDT and its contractors have been violating labor standards and they failed to refute the findings on the labor-only contracting activities. These employees must be regularized and entitled to security of tenure,” Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said in a statement.

DOLE National Capital Region Director Johnson Cañete issued a compliance order against PLDT to regularize 8,720 employees who were under contracting and subcontracting arrangements but were performing jobs that were directly related to the company’s business.

The agency also directed PLDT and its 47 contractors to pay P77.5 million in overtime, holiday, and 13th month pays, service incentive leaves, and unauthorized deductions to 2,500 employees.

Based on the results of the Special Assessment or Visit of Establishment, DOLE found that PLDT contractors violated Occupational Safety and Health Standards as they lacked trained safety personnel and personal protective equipment such as harness, hard hat, safety shoes, and warning devices.

The agency also noted that more than half or 51 out of the 91 contractors were either unregistered with DOLE or had expired registrations. JE