KEPCO labor row: Palace executives to intervene

CEBU, Philippines - The top official of the Department of Energy is hoping that the two labor unions of Korean Power Corporation-Salcon Power Corporation will not resort to strike especially during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings that will be held in Cebu starting next month.

Acting Energy Secretary Zenaida Monzada said she has already discussed with Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz on how they can cooperate to solve this problem.

Monzada said they will talk with Kepco management as well as the two unions to find ways to settle the issues between them.

“We will sit down with Kepco management and the union and talk about this especially the APEC will be done in Cebu,” said Monzada, who was in Cebu yesterday for the Visayas Energy Investment Forum.

Cebu will host the APEC meetings from August 22 to September 15. At least 3,200 delegates are expected to be in Cebu for the meetings excluding their spouses and staff.

“We really have to settle this problem. Hopefully, di sila mag strike,” Monzada added.

KSPC owns and operates a 200-megawatt modern coal-fired power plant in the City of Naga and supplies power to the Visayas grid, mainly to the electric cooperatives of Cebu, Negros, and Bohol.

Both the rank and file and the supervisors unions have filed their second notices of strike before the National Conciliation and Mediation Board-7.

Members of the Kepco Cebu Employees Association, which is the rank and file union, demanded that the management face them in the negotiating table for their collective bargaining agreement.

The Kepco Cebu Supervisors Union on the other hand is demanding for the reinstatement of its union president, Lowell Sanchez, and recognition of their union.

The supervisors union earlier voted “yes” to strike after the conciliation efforts failed.

The union can proceed with the strike anytime soon.

Both unions also filed notices of strike in April and were supposed to go on strike during the Labor Day, but were averted due to the intervention of President Benigno Aquino III.  (FREEMAN)