MANILA — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Thursday said it stands firm on its order to telecommunications giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) to regularize 7,306 workers.
In an interview, DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III noted that its January 10 order on the matter is executory.
“It is executory. It can be implemented since they have yet to get a temporary restraining order (TRO). It will be implemented,” he said.
In a resolution dated April 24, the DOLE affirmed its earlier order for PLDT and its contractors to grant their employees regular employment status and pay their monetary benefits amounting to PHP51.6 million.
On Wednesday, the telecommunications firm said the DOLE order for it to stop engaging in subcontracting activities and regularize more than 7,000 employees will disrupt the company’s operations.
“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.
PLDT has filed an appeal before the Court of Appeals (CA) last May to invalidate the DOLE order.
A total of 23 of the 38 contractors have also filed similar petitions. (Ferdinand Patinio/PNA)
