NON-STRIKING workers of furniture maker Giardini del Sole in Mandaue City will be allowed entry into company premises starting today.

This was among the agreements reached during yesterday’s negotiation, initiated by Mayor Jonas Cortes, between the management and the striking workers.

The negotiation was done in the presence of officials of the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) and the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB).

During the meeting, which lasted over two hours, the striking workers also promised to notify the Mandaue City Government of their decision on whether to accept the full separation pay offered by the management and submit today a list of
dismissed workers who want to accept the payment.

The agreement was signed by Primitivo Ginoo and Eulito Fin Jr., president and vice president, respectively, of the Nagkahiusang Puwersa nga Mamumuo sa Giardini, and Dennis Derige, spokesman of Partido ng Manggagawa.

With the development, both Dole 7 Director Elias Cayanong and NCMB 7 Director Edmundo Mirasol Jr. expressed optimism that the labor dispute will be settled soon.

Mirasol said that once the company can afford to give the separation pay, payments will be coursed through the Dole 7.
Assistance

Cayanong, on the other hand, said that aside from the separation pay, the displaced workers can avail themselves of the agency’s programs for livelihood and emergency employment program.

Cortes intervened in the labor dispute after about 240 non-striking workers sought his assistance early yesterday morning because they failed to report for work for two days already due to the ongoing picket.

Some of them cried over this predicament, saying they needed to work to support their families.

Cortes initially offered vehicles to bring the workers to the Giardini plant but these were blocked by the strikers. This prompted Cortes to go to the picket area, but the strikers still blocked the entry of the non-striking workers.

Because of this, Cortes asked the leaders of the striking workers to meet him in his office for a dialogue.

Giovanni Boschi, Giardini del Sole owner, warned that if the picketing workers insist on disrupting operations, the remaining 240 personnel may eventually lose their jobs.

He also denied allegations of union-busting, pointing out that he was forced to retrench some of his workers because he can no longer afford a P1.4-million weekly payroll.

Of Giardini’s 485 workers, 240 are still working because their skills are needed, while the others have been retrenched after their customers from the United States stopped sending orders.

Boschi said he already gave P5,000 each to the 245 workers in the form of a cash advance over their separation pay. Under the Labor Code, Boschi has six months to pay the separation pay of the dismissed workers. (EOB)