DOLE recommends regularization of 10,000 PLDT workers

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday recommended the regularization of 10,000 workers of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) after conducting special assessment on the telecommunications company in accordance with the implementation of Department Order (DO) 174. (Photo: PLDT/ Facebook)

MANILA—The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday recommended the regularization of 10,000 workers of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) after conducting special assessment on the telecommunications company in accordance with the implementation of Department Order (DO) 174.

In a press briefing, Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the proposal was the result of the department’s Special Assessment/Visit of Establishments (SAVE), which found that the workers are performing jobs that are directly connected to the company’s business but under contracting and subcontracting arrangements.

“I will order the regularization of close to 10,000 workers under contracting and subcontracting arrangements but are performing jobs that are directly related to PLDT’s business,” he explained.

Bello noted that the company’s subcontractors were also found to be non-compliant with the new order.

“PLDT where found violations, mostly among its sub-contractors and majority of which are not even registered or with expired registrations,” he said.

Likewise, the DOLE chief reported that Philippine Airlines (PAL) and PAL Express including their contractors and subcontractors were found violating general labor standards and occupational safety and health standards (OSHS).

These violations include underpayment of wages, overtime pay, service incentive leave under general labor and standards and no valid fire safety inspection certificate, no trained safety and health officers on OSHS.

Bello added, “Contractors’ workers are also performing jobs directly related to the main business of the companies.”

The SAVE is the DOLE’s mechanism to assess, validate and verify compliance with labor laws of companies and their contractors/subcontractors.

On the other hand, the DOLE revealed that a total of 45,605 employees have been regularized in response to the Duterte administration’s campaign to end labor only contracting in the country.

According to the department’s data, the more than 45,000 regularized workers were recorded since the “endo” campaign started in July 2016 until March 2017.