Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 23) — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Grab Philippines should start coordinating with each other to address the impact of the company’s mass layoff on its employees in the country, a digital advocacy group said on Friday.
“DOLE should be on top of this issue,” Digital Pinoys national campaigner Ronald Gustilo told CNN Philippines’ The Source.
“Dapat ngayon pa lang they should be coordinating with Grab,” he added. “Grab should also be coordinating with DOLE nang sa ganoon po ay hindi naman maagrabyado yung ating mga kababayang empleyado ng Grab.”
[Translation: They should be coordinating with Grab by now. Grab should also be coordinating with DOLE so that our countrymen working in Grab will not be at a disadvantage.]
Grab CEO Anthony Tan announced this week that the company will lay off 1,000 employees. Aside from Singapore and the Philippines, the company also operates in Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
\”The primary goal of this exercise is to strategically reorganize ourselves, so that we can move faster, work smarter, and rebalance our resources across our portfolio in line with our longer term strategies,\” Tan said in an email sent to employees. \”Restructuring thus emerged as a painful but necessary step, to set Grab on the correct trajectory towards our longer-term future.\”
Grab Philippines told CNN Philippines that authorities were already told about the move to lay off some of its employees in the country.
\”We can confirm that we have notified the DOLE on this exercise,\” the company said.
Gustilo emphasized that Philippine labor laws should be followed during the process, which includes abiding by the two-notice rule.
DOLE said this policy refers to the procedural due process in termination of employment which includes a notice of intent to dismiss specifying the ground for termination where an employee can explain their side, a hearing or conference where the employee can respond to the charges, and a notice of dismissal indicating that grounds have been established to justify termination.
Gustilo said affected employees may file a complaint with DOLE if the right process is not followed.
This is not the first time Grab reduced its workforce.
