PLDT Labor Group Lauds DOLE Secretary Bello’s Announcement on Findings of Contractualization in PLDT

The Philippine Government now speaks of what is happening in the country’s labor front.

Mandaluyong City, April 29th, 2017 – The PLDT Rank & File Union, Manggagawa sa Komunikasyon ng Pilipinas (MKP) expressed its appreciation of Secretary Bello’s declaration on the findings of the Special Assessment or Visit to Establishment (SAVE) conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). The labor groups’ accusations against PLDT’s violation of labor rights were uncovered during the inspection made by the SAVE team dispatched by the DOLE. The audit unearthed that there are: Sales personnel being paid 150 pesos a day; Workers denied of their 13th month pay, service incentive leave, sick leave, paternity leave; Workers paying out for the tools they use at work; Workers paying out for the uniform required of them to wear; Workers handling jobs that are necessary and desirable to PLDT business for 2yrs, 7 yrs, or even 17 yrs, but have not been regularized. PLDT has been declared to have engaged in labor-only contracting and ordered to regularize 10,000 workers and pay the necessary amount pertinent to violations of general labor standards.

While PLDT declares that it will continue to fully cooperate with the DOLE, the resolution has not been implemented yet it announced the outsourcing of its IT services which is utterly illegal. This is so, not only because IT services is necessary and desirable to PLDT’s business but also because its’ IT services is manned by regular employees. It is downright illegal to outsource jobs of regular employees.

PLDT also said in its statement that it is committed to fully comply with all existing labor laws and regulations. MKP answers back by saying that it is PLDT’s brazen disregard of the rights and welfare of the Filipino workers that has brought us to this point. MKP constantly reminded and summoned PLDT of this unfair and illegal practice that needs to be rectified, but to no avail. MKP believes a government that has the political will and a genuine concern for the Filipino people can end this abusive behavior and practices. And the Duterte government claims to be this kind of government, it further said. Now MKP implores the Duterte Government to be true to its words and finally put a stop to this illegal and abusive practice of contractualization against the Filipino working people. MKP president Arthur Castillo said: “Sumasaludo po kami sa mga empleyado at mga opisyales ng Department of Labor na buong tapang na nag-audit sa kalagayan ng mga kontraktwal na manggagawa sa PLDT at walang takot na naglabas ng kanilang mga findings. Hinihiling namin ngayon kay Secretary Bello na manindigan laban sa mga Oligarkiya sa bansa at gamitin ang kapangyarihang kaloob ng mamamayan sa gobyerno upang ipagtanggol ang karapatan at interes ng mga karaniwang manggagawa, na syang gumagawa ng yaman ng bansa”. 

Manggagawa sa Komunikasyon ng Pilipinas (MKP)

“MKP is the sole and exclusive bargaining agent of the rank & file employees of PLDT. It has been at the fore front of the fight against contractualization in PLDT since its strike in 1996 when the company attempted to replace the regular employees with agency hired workers in its Diliman Exchange. MKP won the fight earning the reinstatement of the regular employees and the withdrawal of PLDT from its agreement with the independent service provider.”

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