Dolefil not a labor violator, exec says

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Fruit giant Dole Philippines Inc. (Dolefil) has denied that it does not comply with labor standards as shown by the audit of the Societe Generalle de Surveillance (SGS), an offense with a penalty of declassification from the Social Accountability 8000 (SA 8000) list.

Kevin Davis, Dolefil general manager, questioned the audit conducted by SGS last March 23-27, stressing there's "serious irregularities in the conduct of the audit."

Updates on President Benigno Aquino III's presidency

"This matter is now the subject of a complaint pending before SGS. Likewise, the company strongly disagrees with the alleged major non-conformance that the lead auditor cited. The company found this to be baseless and therefore has filed the requisite appeal," the executive said in a recent statement.

SGS, which issues the SA 8000 certification, is already in the process of organizing an Appeals Committee to process the appeal in accordance with their rules and regulations, Davis added.

The Dolefil management expressed confidence that the appeal will be resolved in favor of the company in due course.

Dolefil has been an SA 8000 certified company for more than nine years now, starting March 2001. It is one of only six companies in the entire country that is SA certified and holds the distinction of being the first manufacturing company in the Philippines that has been SA certified.

Davis recounted that the controversy arose after Dolefil recognized the newly-elected officers of the incumbent union named Amado Kadena-National Federation of Labor Unions-Kilusang Mayo Uno (AK-Naflu-KMU).

In the SGS audit report, the newly-elected officers were identified as belonging to UR-Dole, although the management recognized them as Amado Kadena.

A special meeting by 71% of the union membership last February resulted to the election of the new officers, and resolved to disaffiliate from Naflu-KMU, Davis said.

The old officers challenged the legality of the special meeting before the Bureau of Labor Relations where the matter is still pending.

The company intends to continue to deal with the new set of officers until the intra-union dispute on the union leadership has been resolved with finality or until a new set of officers have been duly elected by the union membership, Davis said.

In a letter dated last June 4, SGS said it has verified one major and two minor non-conformities against Dolefil in relation to SA 8000 standards.

"The major non-conformity has been raised against the standard requirement Freedom of Association, and the two minor non-conformity raised were related to Control of Suppliers and Health and Safety," wrote Marina Piloni, Systems and Services Certification-SA 8000 global product manager.

Jonie A. Valdez, national staff of Naflu-KMU, earlier claimed the action of Dolefil to recognize UR-Dole or Amado Kadena is tantamount to union busting.

Dolefil negotiates with UR-Dole despite the company's collective bargaining agreement with Amado Kadena-Naflu-KMU still in effect until February 10, 2011, Valdez said.

Davis said the CBA is in place and continues to be respected, clearly demonstrated "by the fact that the company has already implemented the wage increase for the year pursuant to the CBA."

As a matter of policy, Dolefil respects the rights of its workers to organize, which is public knowledge in the community and as demonstrated by its historical dealings with various trade unions as early as the 1960s in its operations in the Philippines, the expatriate said.

SA 8000 is a voluntary, universal standard for companies interested in auditing and certifying labor practices in their facilities and those of their suppliers and vendors. It is designed for independent third-party certification.

SA 8000 is based on the principles of international human rights norms as described in International Labor Organization conventions, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

It measures the performance of companies in eight key areas: child labor, forced labor, health and safety, free association and collective bargaining, discrimination, disciplinary practices, working hours, and compensation.