Tuesday, April 15, 2008 Guv helps bridge Salcon labor row
THE Cebu Provincial Government has stepped in to help bridge the conflict between the management and union of Salcon Power Corp.
Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia met with Salcon officials yesterday, along with City of Naga Mayor Valdemar Chiong.
The 30-day cooling off period from the filing of a notice of strike ended yesterday, April 14, but the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) is calling for another conciliation meeting today.
Chiong sought Garcia’s help last week to talk to Salcon management.
The management, led by Salcon president Dennis Villareal, had a dialogue with Garcia and Chiong.
Garcia pinpointed “communication” as the main problem in the company.
“Communication, if opened up, there will be more possibility of working an understanding between the two parties,” Garcia told reporters after the meeting.
Salcon Power Independent Union (SPIU) threatened to organize a strike after management refused to recognize the union, despite an order from the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) naming SPIU as the official collective bargaining agent of the company.
The management, according to both Garcia and Chiong, is willing to sit down with the employees.
THE management said in a press statement yesterday that a strike will not benefit anyone, including the union members. The company asked union members to be patient in waiting for the final resolution of the legal questions they filed before proceeding with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiation.
Garcia said she hopes that there will be no “dominant advisers” trying to intervene in a proposed communication.
“The management raised possible points where they can talk with the union,” said Chiong, who initiated the meeting.
“Over and above, the interest of Cebu must be protected. Power is a vital facility of the province... We have to walk the extra mile to resolve the issues,” said Garcia of the Provincial Government’s intervention. (JGA/EOB)
