Regularization order of about 8,000 PLDT contractuals stays – DOLE

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has rejected the appeal of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) to reverse the compliance order issued by the National Capital Region (NCR) regional office last year to regularize close to 8,000 of its contractual

workers and for contractors to pay the employees P66 million in monetary claims.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said his office found "no merit" to overturn the DOLE NCR order.

DOLE ordered PLDT to regularize workers from Activeone Health Inc., Archon Consulting and System Services Inc., BBSVP-VPN Allied Services Corporation, Consultancy, Outsourcing, Recovery and Equivalent Services (CORES) Inc., El Grande Messengerial Services Inc., Hibizcom Corp., JFM Installation & Telecom Services Inc., and M.D. Tambungui Specialists (MDTS) Inc who were found to be engaged in labor contracting.

The same ruling also applies to MG Exeo Network, Occupational Dental Health Care and Services, PC Tech, Pointman Placement Specialist, Proserve Multi Resources Specialists Inc., Searchers and Staffers Corporation; SPi CRM Inc., Unison Computer System Inc., and Upsight Construction Inc.

Aside from engaging in laboronly contracting, the following were also directed to settle monetary claims of their workers amounting to P28, 446,139.14: AE Research Exponents Inc., Aremay Enterprise, Best Option Assistance Inc., Centennial Technologies & Marketing Corporation, Comworks Inc., Consolidated Management Resources, CuroTeknika Inc., Diars Assistance Inc., Goodline Staffers and Allied Service Inc., and Implicare International Management Resources Inc.

Information Professionals Inc., Iplus Intelligent Network Inc., LBP Service Corporation, Meralco Industrial Engineering Services Corporation, Pro Tek Telecoms Support Inc., Serveflex Inc., Sitetel Marketing, Software Laboratories Inc., Tejo Management Services Inc., Transbio Incorporated, Trends and Technologies Service Maintenance Inc., and We Support Inc. were also ordered to grant the monetary claims of their workers amounting to P37,901,866.27.

"Most of the companies identified as labor-only contractors were found making unauthorized wage deductions, nonpayment and non-compliance with the minimum wage and the 13th month law, and refused to grant their workers service incentive benefits stipulated in the Labor Code," said DOLE in a statement.

The labor department ordered the said companies to cease and desist from further engaging in contracting activities and cancelled their respective registrations.

Meanwhile, the labor department declared Customer Frontline Solutions Inc., Pro Tek Telecoms Support Inc., SL Temps, St. Clair Security and Investigation Inc., and Trigold Security & Investigation Agency Incorporated as legitimate contractors.

"They have also immediately abided to settle unpaid monetary claims, wages, and benefits to their employees," DOLE said.