Employment Bond

Hi Atty!

Magpapatulong lang po iinterpret yung certain condition sa contract na napirmahan ko.

"That i will not be employed or engaged in any capacity or undertaking similar to or akin to the functions I previously performed with the company while employed and i will not be interested or concerned directly or indirectly in any business,firm or corporation carrying on a business of a similar nature to your current employer and its subsidiary companies for the whole duration of the service period above agreed whether I complete the same or not within one year from cessation of my employment, which ever comes first."

Maraming salamat po.

that is called a non-compete clause. while employed or should your employment in the company cease and 1 year after, you cannot work in a company which offers a similar service or product.

for example, if you are in a pharma company, you cannot work for another one for 1 year after you leave.

My current employer is engaged in a real estate and manufacturing and i am acting as a software support. I already tendered my resignation effective april 15, 2011. I will be transferring to a BPO company as a sofware support also, can my current employer file a case against me?

Another thing po regarding this contract, may return service po na 2.5 years, na magsisimula "upon completion of project"[i]. Should we resign before the completion date of the project, magbabayad po ako.

Ngayon may nahanap po ako work na masmataas ang bigay na sahod, kapag po ba nagresign ako kailangan ko po ba bayaran yung amount na nakalagay sa contract? Nagstart po yung project July 2007, hanggang ngayon di pa po tapos due to internal issues.

Maraming salamat po ulit.

you will have to gauge whether the company will go after you to pay that amount if your resign. when should it have been a reasonable time that the project be finished or at least substantially finished?

Good day AttyLLL,

I would like to seek your advice kung maituturing na
valid ang employment contract na pinirmahan ko at
kung pwede ba ako mag file ng immediate resignation sa
kaso ko: E2 po ang case ko.

I was hired as a bookkeeper ng isang company na nakabased
sa Philippines. Meron silang company dito sa Shanghai china and I was hired para magtrabaho dito. Ang naging conditions nila ay still Philippine Peso pa din ang salary ko amounting to P/12,000, free food and accomodation and A little allowance lang dito in China Yuan (RMB)
(RMB 600.00/mo). Pumayag ako with that condition, and theemployer promised verbally na may yearly increase naman daw.Pinapirmahan nila
ako ng Agreement and it says that

"That the employee during his stay at Shanghai, China
binds himself diligently perform the tasks assigned
to him for 2 years and that upon the completion of the mission
the employee automatically binds himself to continuously
work for and under employment of the the employer for a
corresponding period of 1 year if employer so requires."
" In case of any breach or violation and conditions of
this contract, the employee is bound to pay his employer
liquidated damages the sum of 100,000 Pesos without
prejudice to the right of employer."

That means na after 2 years of work dito sa China
compelled pa ako na magtrabaho sa kanila for another one year sa
office nila jan sa Philippines, if not I'll pay them 100thousand At first, I thought it is oklang, pero nung and2 na ako, things are different, sila
ang may hawak ng passport ko and working visa kaya hindi kami basta nakakalabas kung naiisin namin without gatepass authorized
by the manager. And the worst is we have a "stress
inducing" and bad mouthing manager. Iniinsulto nya kami
mga Pilipinong nagtratrabaho dito and sinasabihan na "Anong
klase utak kayo meron!"Paano kayo pinalaki ng mga magulang nyo!"
subukan nyo magkamali pa kayo icha-charge ko yan sa salary ny"
and other humiliating words and shouting na pinapahiyaako
at ibang kong kasamahan sa harap ng marami. At minsan
pinagbintangan pa kami na ninakaw ang camera ng presidente ng
kompanya ( I have e-mail of the President as evidence)

Gusto ko na sana umalis dito sa pinagtratrabahuan ko.
Unbearable treatment, they are treating us like slaves
and not workers. Mahaba pati ang oras namin sa trabaho
because of multi-tasking. Ang tanong ko ay:

1. Valid po ba ang employment contract na pinirmahan
ko kahit na napunta ako dito thru Intracompany hiring
Legal po ba ang pagpapatrabaho sa akin dito sa abroad? I
have no insurance here nga pala & up to now, wala
2 years na wala man lang salary increase.

2. Pwede ba ko magfile ng immediate resignation.Pwde ba
ako magdahilan ng stress related illness on my
resignation just to smooth things para maka-exit na lang ako.

3. Ano ang remedies ko kung sakaling magfile sila ng
breach of contract laban sa akin. Pwede ko ba
maging evidence and voice recordings at email as
a defense? Makukulong po ba ako?

Paano ba makakaalis ang mga taong tulad ko sa mga
mapang-aping managers/employers na ito.

Please help me Atty. Thank you very much

first, the only case they can file against you is a civil case, not a criminal case, so even if they win, if you don't have any properties, they can't do anything.

send your emails to your private email address. the taped conversations are inadmissible.

if you cannot leave there, try to get help from the philippine embassy.

Maraming salamat po Atty, for your help.

Wala po ako ibang properties Atty except for my pre-need
life insurance, na nakuha ko 10 yrs ago. hanngang
ngyon ay binabayaran ko pa po iyon. Paano po pag kinuha nila yun sa akin?

What will be my defense Atty.? kung sakaling magfile
sila ng breach of contract? Valid po ba ang kontrata
ko na iyon na ginawa nila? Pag pumumunta kami sa POEA para mag renew
ng aming OEC, iba ang nilalagay namin sa POEA info sheet
Pinapasulat kami doon ng company na P/40,000.00 ang
aming sweldo kahit hindi naman. Can they file a case
against me kahit na ganun ang ginagawa nila sa amin
dito sa abroad? and withholding pa our passport?

I am planning to file immediate resignation kasi hindi
na ako masaya sa trabaho ko. Mapipilit ba nila ako na
magtrabaho if i feel na I have no future in their company?

argue that you were constructively dismissed because they made the working environment unbearable.

i don't know how much protection you can expect from chinese authorities and the philippine embassy. it may be best to inquire with someone knowledgeable with chinese law.

Thanks again atty for the advice.

Filipino-Chinese ang company ko Atty. Nanjan sa Pilipinas ang main office at extension factory lang dito sa abroad.One reason kung bakit hindi ako makahingi ng tulong sa Phil. Consulate dito sa Shanghai, its because kaibigan din nila ang mga tao jan sa konsulado.Nkakakuha sila pati ng favor sa company nmin in terms of donations.

Tama ba na kunin ko sa kanila (company) ang passport ko? ano po ang ibig sabhin ng constructively dismissed ako?

I still recommend you ask help from the philippine consulate. i don't even think it's right that they took your passport.

Thank you very much Atty. At least ngayon meron na akong
lakas ng loob because I know nasa tama ako. God bless
you, and please continue to help others.