VECO union files strike notice before NCMB

CEBU, Philippines – Aggrieved union officials and members of the Visayan Electric Company Employers Union-Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines yesterday filed a notice of strike against the management of the said power firm before the National Conciliation and Mediation Board.

The notice of strike filed by union president Casmero Mahilum contended that several requests were already made by the union in order to resolve their ongoing labor dispute at the plant level.

But he said their efforts were rejected by the management of VECO which prompted them to file the notice of strike.

VECO is the country’s second largest private electric utility and is currently serving 291,962 customers in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Talisay and five municipalities of the greater part of Metro Cebu.

Among the grounds stated in their notice of strike is the alleged refusal of the management to bargain collectively and negotiate with the union in order to resolve the issues involving violations of the collective bargaining agreement.

The union also said that the management committed union busting when they suspended union members by reason of union activities and transferred the union president to an assignment far from the core of the union membership which is in their main office in Banilad.

The union also accused the management of committing gross violation of the economic provisions of the CBA wherein they cited four provisions in the CBA violated by the latter.

The first was Section 1, Article II which prohibits hiring of labor and job contractors.

“VECO hired several labor only contractors which supply workers who are performing works of the regular employees which largely reduced the number of the union members,” the notice of strike read.

Another violation cited is Section 5, Rule V which grants the workers a total of only 40 work hours a week.

The union said that the management, in computing absences and overtime pay, instead used 25.6 days a month instead of 20 days.

The union also cited another violation in Section I, Article X with regards to the granting of four percent of the company’s profit as share of the workers.

“VECO did not present to the union despite several demands on how the company’s profit is determined and computed,” the notice of strike added.

Furthermore, the union accused the management of violating Section 7, Article XIV with regards to electricity privileges.

The union said that VECO changed the existing practice which did not limit the use of the electricity and VECO now puts a limit to the electricity consumption privilege earlier granted to its employees.

The FREEMAN tried to ask VECO spokesman Basti Lacson for comments but said he will only comment today once he gets the official copy of the notice of strike. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/BRP (THE FREEMAN)