PLDT management, workers successfully end CBA negotiations

MANILA, Philippines – The workers and management of telco giant PLDT have finally reached an agreement following a weeks-long labor dispute on its collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

In a stock exchange disclosure dated Monday, December 16, PLDT said that following the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) assuming jurisdiction over the labor dispute between PLDT and the Manggagawa ng Komunikasyon ng Pilipinas (MKP), the parties successfully concluded CBA negotiations for the 2024 to 2027 cycle.

The parties formalized their agreement by executing a memorandum of agreement (MOA) in front of DOLE officials, including the secretary.

The MKP, the union of PLDT rank-and-file workers, supplied Rappler with highlights of the MOA, among which were the following wage increases:

• 1st year – P3,000 per month, effective November 9, 2024, plus P100,000 lump sum;
• 2nd year – P3,100 per month effective November 9, 2025;
• 3rd year – P3,200 per month effective November 9, 2026.

The MOA is subject to ratification by members of the bargaining unit within 60 days from signing. According to the MKP, if the result of the MOA is in the favor of the majority, the retroactive benefits may come in January. The CBA’s effectivity should be from November 9, 2024, and will remain in force until November 8, 2027.

“Sa paningin naman ng union at base sa mathematical computation, eh halos parehas lang sa nakaraang CBA. Maliit in figure, pero kung magco-compute, hindi naman talo,” Joy Tacadena, MKP director for information and media affairs, said on Tuesday, December 17.

(In the union’s view and based on mathematical computation, it is similar to what was offered in the previous CBA. It’s small in figure, but if you compute it, it’s not a loss.)

Tacadena said that in the ratification process, if most members disagreed with the provisions, then negotiations would go “back to the table again, with everything back to zero.”

On November 28, MKP informed the press of their intention to go on strike as negotiations had ended in a deadlock. According to MKP President Alexander Tirao, the previous CBA gave higher monthly increases: P3,400 in the first year, P3,500 in the second year, and P3,800 in the third year.

This, despite PLDT earning P64.88 billion from 2021 to 2023. Union data say the top 5 PLDT executives gained a 189% salary increase in the last three years, with their average monthly salary at P3.2 million. – Rappler.com