Charlito Penaranda v Banganga Plywood Corporation and Chua

Facts:

Charlito Penaranda was hired as an employee of Baganga Corporation with a monthly salary of P5,000 as Foreman/Boiler Head/ Shift Engineer  to take charge of the operations and maintenance of its steam plant boiler.

He alleges that he was illegally terminated and that his termination was without due process and valid grounds. Furthermore, he was not paid his OT pay, premium pay for working during holidays, and night shift differentials. So he filed an action for illegal dismissal.

Hudson Chua, the General Manager of Baganga alleges that Penaranda’s separation was done pursuant to Art. 238 of the Labor Code.  The company was on temporary closure due to repair and general maintenance and it applied for clearance with the DOLE to shut down and dismiss employees. He claims that due to the insistence of complainant, he was paid his separation benefits. But when the company partially re-opened, Penaranda faild to re-apply.

Chua also alleges that since he is a managerial employee, he is not entitled to OT pay and if ever he rendered services beyond the normal hours of work, there was no office order/authorization for him to do so.

The Labor Arbiter ruled that there was no illegal dismissal and that Penaranda’s complaint was premature because he was still employed with Baganga. As regards the benefits, the Labor Arbiter found petitioner entitled to OT pay, premium pay for working on rest days and attorney’s fees.

On appeal, NLRC deleted the award of OT pay, premium pay and attorney’s fees.

The CA dismissed Penaranda’s Petition for Certiorari based on procedural failures.

Issue:

Whether or not Penaranda is a regular employee entitled to monetary benefits under Art. 82 of the Labor Code.

Held:

NO. Penaranda is part of the managerial staff which takes him out of the coverage of labor standards. The Implementing Rules define members of a managerial staff as those with the ff. responsibilities:

(1) The primary duty consists of the performance of work directly related to management policies of the employer;

(2) Customarily and regularly exercise discretion and independent judgment;

(3) (i) Regularly and directly assist a proprietor or a managerial employee whose primary duty consists of the management of the establishment in which he is employed or subdivision thereof; or (ii) execute under general supervision work along specialized or technical lines requiring special training, experience, or knowledge; or (iii) execute under general supervision special assignments and tasks; and

(4) who do not devote more than 20 percent of their hours worked in a workweek to activities which are not directly and closely related to the performance of the work described in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) above."

Petitioner supervised the engineering section of the steam plant boiler. His work involved overseeing the operation of the machines and the performance of the workers in the engineering section. This work necessarily required the use of discretion and independent judgment to ensure the proper functioning of the steam plant boiler. As supervisor, petitioner is deemed a member of the managerial staff.

Even Penaranda admitted that he was a supervisor. In his Position Paper, he stated that he was the foreman responsible for the operation of the boiler. The term foreman implies that he was the representative of management over the workers and the operation of the department. His classification as supervisor is further evident from the manner his salary was paid. He belonged to the 10% of respondent’s 354 employees who were paid on a monthly basis; the others were paid only on a daily basis.

*No justification to award overtime pay and premium pay for rest days to Penaranda.