Quarantine workers’overtime pay sought from airline company

CEBU, Philippines - The Bureau of Quarantine appeals to Cebu Pacific Air to release the remaining unpaid amount of overtime pay for its 16 employees from May to July of last year.

Dr. Emmanuel Labella, Bureau of Quarantine-Cebu chief, wrote a letter to the manager of Cebu Pacific Air in reference to the unpaid bills of the company for services rendered by the Quarantine employees working overtime in Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

Labella said it covers the months of May, June and July 2012, which remains unpaid until now.

He cited the order issued by then Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Secretary Manuel Roxas.

Roxas, in his letter to the Board of Airline Representatives (BAR) and Airline Operations Council (AOC), ordered the stoppage of charging the overtime pay of certain government employees in international airports particularly those in charge of Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) to airline companies flying in and out of the said airports.

However, Labella reiterated that the said order was dated August 3, 2012 and pointed out that payments before the said date are still legal and valid.

With this, Labella said their employees are still entitled to receive such compensation from Cebu Pacific Air prior to August 3, 2012.

“I would like to appeal to you (manager) to please release the said remaining unpaid amount to our workers from May, June and July months’ overtime pay for the year 2012, in the name of justice and fairness as our workers have actually performed duties on this period,” said Labella in the letter.

“It will be adding insult to injury if aside from the economic difficulties they are facing now brought about by sudden stoppage of payment, they will also be deprived of compensation due to them and their families,” Labella added.

Labella said that they are expecting a total of more or less P300,000 for the three months to be paid by the said company for the three months since they usually receive more or less P100,000 a month.

He said that despite the suggestion of the 24/7 shifting on the order issued by Roxas, they were not able to follow the shifting for many months since they lack personnel.

The number of personnel in the Bureau of Quarantine was added only last month which was why they were able to follow the shifting just last month.

Labella added that he has been summoning his staff to get the three months payment from the Cebu Pacific Air since last year but they were always told that the Manila office decided not to give it yet.

And since it has already been a year, Labella then wrote a letter addressing it to the Cebu Pacific Air Manila office.  (FREEMAN)