Return-to-work order

ni Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta @Magtanong Kay Attorney | March 2, 2023

Dear Chief Acosta,

Ako ay security guard na ipinadala ng aking agency para madestino sa isang establisimyento sa Quezon City. Sa hindi alam na kadahilanan, inabisuhan ako ng agency na may instruction diumano silang natanggap na pinu-pull out na ako sa detail assignment ko.

Dismayado sa naganap, ilang beses akong nag-follow up sa agency, ngunit walang nangyari.

Kaya sa huling tawag ko sa kanila, napagpasyahan at naibulalas ko sa agency na maghahain ako ng reklamo laban sa kanila. Pagkaraan ng ilang araw pagkatapos ng nasabing tawag, nakatanggap ako ng abiso na pinababalik ako sa agency “for immediate posting”. Nang magtanong ako sa agency tungkol sa detalye ng bagong posting ko, wala itong maibigay. Ano ang maaari kong gawin? Maraming salamat. –Melchor

Dear Melchor,

Ang iyong katanungan ay nasagot ng Kagalang-galang na Korte Suprema sa kasong Samsudin T. Hamid vs. Gervasio Security and Investigation Agency, Inc./Susan S. Gervasio, G.R. No. 230968, 27 July 2022, sa panulat ni Honorable Associate Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan, kung saan pinasyahan ang mga sumusunod:

“In a plethora of cases, We have emphasized that a security guard’s employer must give a new assignment to the employee within six months. This assignment must be to a specific or particular client. ‘A general return-to-work order does not suffice.’ Otherwise stated, jurisprudence requires not only that the employee be recalled to the agency’s office, but that the employee be deployed to a specific client before the lapse of six months. In the case of lbon v. Genghis Khan Security Services, (Ibon Case), it has been clarified that:

Respondent could not rely on its letter requiring petitioner to report back to work to refute a finding of constructive dismissal. The letters, dated November 5, 2010 and February 3, 2011, which were supposedly sent to petitioner merely requested him to report back to work and to explain why he failed to report to the office after inquiring about his posting status. More importantly, there was no proof that petitioner had received the letters.

In Tatel v. JLFP Investigation (JLFP Investigation), the Court initially found that the security guard was constructively dismissed notwithstanding the employer’s letter ordering him to report back to work. It expounded that in spite of the report-to-work order, the security guard was still constructively dismissed because he was not given another detail or assignment. On motion for reconsideration, however, the Court reversed its ruling after it was shown that the security guard was in fact assigned to a specific client, but the latter refused the same and opted to wait for another posting.

A holistic analysis of the Court’s disposition in JLFP Investigation reveals that: [1] an employer must assign the security guard to another posting within six (6) months from his last deployment, otherwise, he would be considered constructively dismissed; and [2] the security guard must be assigned to a specific or particular client. A general return-to-work order does not suffice.”

Batay sa nasabing kaso, ang employer o agency ay dapat magbigay ng bagong assignment sa empleyado sa loob ng anim na buwan. Ang pagtatalagang ito ay dapat sa isang partikular na kliyente. Hindi sapat ang isang pangkalahatang utos para sa pagbalik-trabaho. Samakatuwid, nangangailangan, hindi lamang na ang empleyado ay ipabalik sa opisina ng ahensya, ngunit ang empleyado ay i-deploy sa isang partikular na kliyente bago matapos ang anim na buwan. Kung hindi, ito ay maaaring ituring na isang ilegal na pagtanggal sa trabaho.

Sa iyong kaso, bagama’t ang agency ay nagpadala sa iyo ng abiso upang mag-report para sa agarang posting, kung hindi nakasaad dito ang partikular na kliyente kung saan ka made-deploy ay hindi ito sapat. Kung ikaw ay inilagay sa floating status nang higit sa anim na buwan mula sa huling posting/assignment, ikaw ay maituturing na ilegal na tinanggal sa trabaho ng iyong agency.

Sa gayung sitwasyon, ikaw ay maaaring magsampa ng kaso laban sa iyong employer.

Sana ay nabigyan namin ng linaw ang iyong katanungan. Ang payong aming ibinigay ay base lamang sa mga impormasyon na iyong inilahad at maaaring magbago kung mababawasan o madaragdagan ang mga detalye ng iyong salaysay.

Maraming salamat sa inyong patuloy na pagtitiwala.