SC halts fixed pay scheme for bus drivers, conductors

BUS OPERATORS opposing the recently imposed fixed salary scheme for their drivers and conductors can still keep a tight hold on their purse strings.

The Supreme Court has temporarily halted the implementation of the separate orders of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) which compelled bus firms to have a regular wage system for drivers and conductors in Metro Manila.

Ma. Victoria Gleoresty Guerra, the high court’s acting spokesperson, said the tribunal in full-court session yesterday granted the petition filed last week by four transport groups.

The petition, filed by the Provincial Bus Operators Association of the Philippines, the Southern Luzon Bus Operators Association Inc., the Inter-City Bus Operators Association and the City of San Jose del Monte Bus Operators Association, challenged the DOLE and LTFRB orders for purportedly being unconstitutional.

Guerra said the tribunal issued a status quo ante (SQA) order instead of a temporary restraining order (TRO), which the bus groups sought in their pleading.

According to her, an SQA order has the same effect as that of a TRO as it “explicitly states that it enjoins or prohibits an action by the respondents.”

“SQA orders are issued to preserve the situation prevailing between the parties before the issuance of the assailed actions,” Guerra explained in a news briefing.

“The court found that there is a need to first preserve the situation (before the DOLE and LTFRB enforced their orders),” she added.

The LTFRB and DOLE maintained that the new wage system for bus drivers and conductors would help reduce road accidents, noting that drivers tend to commit traffic violations, like reckless driving, just to get as many passengers as they can under the old “boundary” or commission system.

Because of the high court’s order, Guerra said the bus companies can revert to the commission system which they had been implementing for years.

She said the court also directed the DOLE and LTFRB to submit their separate comments on the petition within 10 days.

The DOLE and LTFRB started enforcing the fixed salary rates on July 1, but Guerra said the bus companies should compute the appropriate wages for their