PLDT Management Spars with Company Union

PLDT management has made it clear that negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the Manggagawa sa Komunikasyon ng Pilipinas (MKP) should begin in September 2024, not now.

Following PLDT’s stance on the timing of negotiations, MKP filed a notice of strike on April 5, 2024, citing PLDT’s alleged refusal to bargain. I Photo: PLDT

This response comes in light of MKP’s demand to commence negotiations immediately, despite the current CBA expiring on November 8, 2024.

On February 20, 2024, MKP sent a "Notice to Negotiate & Submission of Statement of Proposals" to PLDT management.

Following PLDT’s stance on the timing of negotiations, MKP filed a notice of strike on April 5, 2024, citing PLDT’s alleged refusal to bargain. MKP members reportedly conducted a strike vote on May 14 and 15, 2024, with a majority voting in favor of the strike.

According to the Labor Code, parties must meet and negotiate the renewal or modification of the CBA terms at least 60 days prior to its expiry.

This period, known as the "freedom period," will begin in the first week of September 2024—more than three months from now and almost seven months from the time MKP first sent the Notice to Negotiate.

Until then, the Labor Code obligates both PLDT and MKP to respect the current CBA to maintain industrial peace.

PLDT management, speaking through People Group First Vice President JM Co, clarified that refusal to bargain as an unfair labor practice refers to an arbitrary refusal to negotiate, which is not the case here.

Co emphasized that PLDT remains "willing and able to negotiate with MKP at the right time," during the freedom period.

He added, "it is PLDT’s position that a strike conducted on this ground has no valid basis. This is supported by law and the parties’ rich bargaining history over the past 30 years."

PLDT respects its workers’ rights to self-organization within the bounds of the law.

Management urges all concerned to work together to achieve PLDT’s business targets and ensure that the basic right of its subscribers to connectivity remains paramount during this time.

PLDT’s commitment to its people and subscribers remains unwavering.