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Thursday, August 25, 2005
Lepanto labor group told to 'bend knees'
By Jane Cadalig
TO RESTORE peace and order in the Lepanto Consolidated and Mining Company (LCMC) , members of the labor group who are still on strike were told to "bend their knees" and give in to the request of the police task force deployed at the mine site.
Benguet Provincial Board (PB) Member Wiliam Esteban advised members of the Lepanto Employees Union (LEU) to comply with all the agreements they earlier entered into, if they want the police to pull out from the area, to prevent further tension between them.
The LEU is asking the police to leave the mine premises and accused the police of causing the problem by being abusive in the implementation of their duties.
Members of the Lepanto Task Force assigned by the Benguet Provincial Police Office (BPPO) there however denied committing human rights abuses against picketers, explaining they were deployed there only to ensure peace and order in Lepanto.
"The police has manifested that they can submit to the demands of the LEU, but not unless the labor union assures that it would not close the gates of the mining company," Esteban said.
The Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) ordered the police to keep peace and order in Lepanto by assuring that all the gates of the firm is open when employees remain on strike.
Although an agreement was signed earlier, where the union agreed to keep the gates open, the same is being defied as picketers continue to block the portals leading to the mine facilities.
To solve the problem, the LEU asked the PB to intervene for a possible settlement.
But the series of negotiations initiated by the board to help solve the problem remains futile as the labor union continue to defy orders for them not to resort to closing the entrances of the firm and allow workers to return to their duties.
(August 25, 2005 issue)
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