Amid union issue: TUCP calls for OPASCOR BOD election

CEBU, Philippines — The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) Labor Center is calling for the conduct of a regular election of the Oriental Port and Allied Services Corporation (OPASCOR) board of directors amidst the filing of notice of strike by its employees’ union.

According to the workers’ union–the OPASCOR Employees Union-Associated Labor Unions-TUCP, it has been 20 years since the last election of board members was held.

With this, the TUCP, in a statement, calls for openness among all parties as they tackle the ongoing labor relations dispute involving OPASCOR serving the Cebu International Port.

“The TUCP believes that OPASCOR, a highly successful worker enterprise which is among the first of its type, should move forward by maintaining and further strengthening its character as a worker enterprise,” the statement said.

The TUCP asks all parties to enter into regular dialogue and consultation to clear the air and to address the democratic and representative character of the ownership and management of OPASCOR.

“TUCP further feels that this will be best achieved through adherence to regular elections of the OPASCOR Board of Directors to address good corporate governance concerns,” it said.

In an official statement, the management of Cebu Port Authority (CPA) recognizes the current challenges faced by OPASCOR, the cargo-handling service provider for the Cebu International Port (CIP).

“We want to assure all port stakeholders that we are closely monitoring the situation and are prepared to take the necessary measures to ensure uninterrupted port operations, protect the safety and well-being of all port workers, and secure all facilities inside the port area,” the CPA statement reads.

“We are hoping for a swift resolution to this matter that serves the best interests of all involved,” CPA added.

OPASCOR traces its roots to 1986, when President Corazon Aquino, through Proclamation No. 50, directed the privatization of several government corporations, including the National Stevedoring and Lighterage Company (NSLC).

The workers of the NSLC were unionized under the Associated Labor Unions (ALU-TUCP), and confronted with the specter of losing their jobs as the NSLC was placed on the chopping board, instead banded together, pooling their resultant retirement and separation pay to secure ownership of the assets of NSLC with the aim of running themselves the entity that evolved into OPASCOR.

ALU-TUCP founder Atty. Democrito “Ka Kito” Mendoza was instrumental in modeling what was then the first fully worker-owned and operated cargo-handling company.

Today, the TUCP celebrates OPASCOR as an innovative example of how a workers’ enterprise can actually compete with "the big boys."

The TUCP Labor Center suggests that all parties to the dispute should not lose sight of the driving force of OPASCOR— generations of workers and their families—who took the risk to set up their own business to continue to serve Cebu, its local government, and its people, driving sustainable investment and creating decent employment, all the while generating much-needed tax revenues for public purposes and strengthening Cebu’s enviable and preferred trade position on the world stage.

“The fruits of the OPASCOR worker's unconditional sacrifice and service deserve nothing less than a roadmap from all parties—the stakeholders and the Government—ensuring that the workers in the company have a voice in every decision that shapes the future of their enterprise. After all, OPASCOR is their corporation, their livelihood, and their lives,” it added. — (FREEMAN)