BPI union strike set for next week
Members of the Bank of the Philippine Islands-Cebu Independent Union will stage a strike next week in all the bank’s 25 branches province-wide.
Milbert John Dacayana, president of BPI-CEIU, confirmed they are set to go on strike next week after the holding of a strike vote and submission to the National Conciliation and Mediation Board-7.
This was also confirmed by NCMB-7 director Edmundo Mirasol, who said that the union held a strike vote April 11 and that majority of the members voted in favor of the strike.
The strike vote, Dacayana said, was the result of the second notice of strike they filed at the NCMB in less than six months, this time for violation of the assumption order issued by Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Arturo Brion and for unfair labor practice.
On December 4 last year, BPI-CEIU filed its first notice of strike on grounds of unfair labor practice against management for the implementation of a policy without consultation with the union.
The policy concerned was the extension of banking hour operations from the usual closing time of
Dacayana said management was only thinking of its own interest without looking after the welfare of its employees as the new policy greatly threatened their safety and health conditions.
The sentiment was shared by other BPI union groups nationwide that also filed respective actions against the policy.
Finding the seriousness of the situation since BPI is the third largest bank in the country in terms of assets and the largest in terms of market capitalization, Brion issued an assumption order in January 17, this year.
According to Brion’s order, a bank belongs to an industry indispensable to the national interest and plays a crucial role in the national economy.
Brion also ordered enjoining both parties from committing any act that may further exacerbate the situation while the subject labor dispute was referred to the National Labor Relations Commission for immediate compulsory arbitration.
However, Dacayana said management allegedly demoralized the employees by issuing another order, this time, changing the operating hours until
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