PLDT says it got injunction on DOLE order to regularize 7,344 workers

August 6, 2018

PLDT Inc. on Monday said it obtained an injunction from the Court of Appeals against the order of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to regularize 7,344 workers from its 38 third party service contractors.

In a decision dated July 31, the CA ordered to set aside the regularization orders as far as they declared that there was labor-only contracting in the following functions such as  janitorial services, messengerial, clerical services, IT services, sales and medical professionals services.

The CA,said the contractual workers performing installation, repair and maintenance of PLDT lines should be regularized.

PLDT said the  CA agreed with the company’s  contention the DOLE regularization order was "tainted with grave abuse of discretion" because it did not meet the “substantial evidence  standards set out by the Supreme Court in landmark jurisprudence.

It added that the court also said that the DOLE’s appreciation of evidence leaned in favor of the contractor workers, and that Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III had “lost sight” of distinctions involving the labor law concepts of “control over means and methods,” and “control over results.”

"PLDT and its legal counsel are studying the Court of Appeals decision to determine the company’s appropriate next steps,” PLDT said. DMS