Davao Doctor's management, unionists meet anew

THE regional office of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) in Davao Region set a new round of conference with the management of Davao Doctor's Hospital (DDH) and 21 workers who filed a complaint after the management issued a notice to abolish their department.

The conference is set on October 9, records from the NCMB showed.

Paciano L. Murro Jr., NCMB regional conciliator-mediator, earlier said the 21 employees are regular workers of the DDH dietary and food department, which was abolished effective October 1.

Murro said the NCMB, the DDH management, and affected workers earlier held a conciliatory meeting on September 19. On the same day, Murro set the next meeting on October 1.

But an employee of the NCMB said the conference is reset on October 9 to further discuss and resolve the issue.

DDH's union bloc, the Pagkakaisa ng mga Trabahante sa DDH-National Federation of Labor, filed a preventive mediation before the NCMB on September 7 to discuss with the management on the workers' appeal for non-termination.

Murro said the reason of the management for the abolition of the department was the "incompetence to handle non-medical functions and that the management is set to 'outsource' employees by private contractor."

With the conference conducted on September 19, records showed that the latest demand of the workers includes "the reduction of the separation pay from 60-day to 52-day per year of service (tax free); cash gift/bonus based on the Key Result Areas (KRA); 30 days salary in lieu of one month notice; unused vacation leave and sick leave convertible to cash; and other benefits under the CBL as 13th month pay."

Lawyer Danilo Culio, legal counsel of the union, earlier said that act of abolishing the department is a violation under Department Order 18-A of the Labor and Employment department.

He said the management wants to settle with the workers by paying the "one month salary per year of service," but the latter requested if they would be retained from service.

Geralyn Somozo, marketing officer of DDH, said they have to abolish the dietary department since they will outsource from a private contractor, but their office is open to possibility of absorbing the workers.