VECO employees union filing case vs management

CEBU, Philippines – Following a rally last Labor Day, the Visayan Electric Company Employees Union is set to file on Wednesday a case for alleged unfair labor practice against the VECO management before the National Conciliation and Mediation Board.

VECEU President Casmero Maghilom said the case is intended to “protect the security of the economic provision under our CBA.”

Maghilom alleged that even before their CBA with management will expire on December, the VECO administration allegedly has started implementing unilateral decisions without consulting the union.

VECEU also questioned the alleged proliferation of “labor-only contracting” wherein workers are performing works, which would otherwise be the job of regular employees.

Membership of VECEU reportedly was reduced tremendously when VECO started hiring workers of labor-only contractors to handle field work requirements like billing and electric line posting, and maintenance.

Currently, VECEU membership is confined to administrative employees of VECO.

Article 253-A, which stipulates the terms of the CBA, states, “any collective bargaining agreement that the parties may enter into shall, insofar as the representation aspect is concerned, be for a term of five years.”

It likewise said, “No petition questioning the majority status of the incumbent bargaining agent shall be entertained and no certification election shall be conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment outside of the sixty-day period immediately before the date of expiry of such five year term of the collective bargaining agreement.”

The article further states that “all other provisions of the collective bargaining agreement shall be renegotiated not later than three years after its execution” and any agreement on such other provisions of the CBA entered into within six months from the date of expiry of the term of such other provisions as fixed in the CBA “shall retroact to the day immediately following such date.”

Finally, the article states, “If any such agreement is entered into beyond six months, the parties shall agree on the duration of retroactivity thereof.

In case of a deadlock in the renegotiation of the collective bargaining agreement, the parties may exercise their rights under this Code.”

Maghilom said last Friday’s rally was only the beginning of a series of protest actions against the VECO management.

Union members would reportedly start to wear black arm bands starting this week in support of the protest.

The Aboitiz group took over the administration of VECO in 2004 when a voluntary early retirement program was offered to the employees. More than 200 members of VECEU reportedly availed themselves of the program.

Maghilom said they are open to proposals to amend the CBA but not until it expires this year.

“We sent too many letters, but Aboitiz never cared to answer all our queries,” Maghilom said.

He said they already channeled their concerns to DOLE Secretary Marianito Roque. — Johanna T. Natavio/JMO (THE FREEMAN)