Furniture factory workers threaten strike

Workers of the Celloom Furniture Corp., a furniture exporter in Canduman, Mandaue City, are threatening to stage a strike against the company for alleged union busting and illegal retrenchment.

Assisted by lawyer Jose Boquecosa Jr. representing the Alliance of Labor Unions, members of Celloom Furniture Corp. Employees Union yesterday filed a notice of strike before the National Conciliation and Mediation Board.

Workers cried harassment against the management for alleged union busting that led to retrenchment of 14 union officers and members, who were refused entry when they tried to report to work.

CFCEU local union president Eliseo Masukol said the management refused to recognize their union even if it was already registered with the Department of Labor and Employment last August 9.

But a day after the union got a registration from DOLE, the 14 employees received a memorandum from the management saying they have been retrenched due to company losses.

The company offered to pay them 15 days per year of service as separation pay.

However, workers said they do not believe the company is losing because it is able to ship twenty 40-footer van of furniture for export a week.

Yesterday, when Masukol and other union members went to the company to report to work, the management did not allow them inside the office because they are allegedly retrenched already.

ALU labor representative Arnold Arcipe said that what the management did was clear union busting because the memorandum was issued a day after the union got registration from DOLE.

"We believe that it is not losses that prompted the management to retrench workers but their joining the union," he added.

He said Celloom has 110 workers, 80 percent of whom are members of the union. After getting a registration from DOLE, workers are supposed to file for certification of election but management immediately issued a memorandum of retrenchment.

"Obviously, it's union busting because instead of recognizing the union, the management issued a memorandum retrenching the workers," Arcipe said.

After the filing of notice of strike, the NCMB is set to schedule a meeting between workers and management for negotiation.

If negotiations fail, Arcipe said they will push through with the strike and they are confident they can cripple the company's operation because majority of the workers are union members.

"Our only demand to the management is to recognize the union and order the workers to go back to work," he added. - Wenna A. Berondo