Thursday, October 05, 2006
Bottling firm terminates 56 salesmen, execs
By Joy Romares-Sevilla
FIFTY-six workers and managers of the Cosmos Bottling Corporation, terminated from work following the firm's closure of its Metro Davao operations Monday, howled in protest.
Cosmos is a subsidiary of the Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines Inc.
Fortunato Peñaredondo, area sales manager and assistant vice president under the Cosmos, said their termination is illegal since the Coca-Cola Beverage Group used "integration" as the cause.
"Integration means everybody is accommodated, how come this happened. Coca-Cola Beverage Group and Cosmos can't be integrated because it has different owners. And even if we say, the two can be integrated, it (integration) is still wrong. No one should have been terminated," Peñaredondo explained.
He added that the termination was also drastic as they were still doing their work when suddenly somebody announced that Cosmos will be closed right "then and there" and that they can claim their checks, representing their separation pays.
"They did it as simple as that without even considering its effect to the ordinary workers," he said.
Peñaredondo said it is not only the workers who are affected by the termination, but also the dealers and the dealers' workers.
He claimed that the closure is not really about the integration, but because of anomalies that started in 2001 perpetrated by top management of Coca-Cola Beverage Group.
He said at that time there was window-dressing or fabricating of financial statements because of some missing funds.
"The workers were the ones used to cover-up the two billion pesos the company lost," Peñaredondo said.
Peñaredondo said on January 5, 2005, he wrote a letter addressed to San Miguel Corporation (SMC) chairman Eduardo Cojuangco and SMC president Ramon Ang, exposing the anomaly. After which, the window-dressing activity was stopped.
He said it is an indication of management's realization of the irregular nature of such activity and the huge financial losses it has caused.
Starting February 2005 up to the present, Peñaredondo said, he has been receiving threats and harassments from the accountable persons in the anomaly to cover up the matter.
In October 2005 and February 2006, an announcement of the integration of Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines Inc and Cosmos, which could have resulted in the termination of Cosmos workers and managers, was made but this termination did not materialize, he said.
Last month, workers and managers of the Cosmos signed a manifesto urging SMC, its mother company, to investigate the window-dressing anomaly.
But they have not heard anything about what courses of action will be taken, until the sudden announcement Monday.
Peñaredondo said only seven employees were held over by the Coca-Cola Beverage Group to finish their work with the Cosmos.
"But after they finish their work, they will be terminated too," Peñaredondo said, adding that the Coca-Cola Beverage Group will now take over the Cosmos.
"There will still be Cosmos products in the market, but to be handled by Coca-Cola Beverage Group," he said.
The terminated managers and workers of the Mindanao Sales Operation of Cosmos is now urging for an earnest investigation of the window-dressing anomaly by top management of SMC or by a proper government agency like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
They want to seek redress, compensation, and reinstatement of their employment and to inform the general public of the adverse effects of the anomaly on their well-being and enlist their support for the speedy and just investigation of the issue.
Sun.Star tried to get the side of Coca-Cola Wednesday, but failed.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (October 5, 2006 issue)
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