PLDT workers troop to claim DOLE’s regularization order

Arthur Castillo, president of the corporation’s rank and file employees union, is hoping that PLDT employees’ actions would inspire workers in other parts of the country. (Photo: PLDT/Facebook)

MANILA — More than 2,000 contractual employees of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) on Friday trooped to the company’s Human Resources Division in Mandaluyong City to claim their regularization status as stated in the writ of execution issued by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), ordering the firm to regularize over 7,000 workers.

Arthur Castillo, president of the corporation’s rank and file employees union, is hoping that PLDT employees’ actions would inspire workers in other parts of the country.

“I hope what will happen right now would be a start to inspire and give hope to all the employees particularly the contractual workers in the country to claim what is rightfully for them,” he said in an interview,

“We told them that they also work hard in their jobs and it is only right that they get what is due them,” added Castillo, a regular worker in the company.

The employees’ union head noted that the workers from different agencies employed in the company went to the PLDT office located at Teltec Building Boni Avenue, Dansalan, to have their regularization implemented telecom firm as ordered by the DOLE.

“The company should follow the order where more than 7,300 employees have to be regularized, which is stated in the writ of execution,” he said.

Majority of the workers that reported in the office in Mandaluyong came from the National Capital Region while some of them were from Lucena, Bicol among others. The employees are from 30 agencies.

Castillo also lauded the Duterte administration for coming up with an order favoring the laborers.

“This government has issued a directive which I think favors the workers. That I cannot deny. Many leaders have led the country but nothing happened,” he said.

Castillo said the employees’ union and management will meet on how the DOLE’s order would be implemented.

The DOLE issued the writ of execution on May 30.