Saturday, March 15, 2008 Port workers, operator reopen conciliation By Victor L. Camion
WORKERS affiliated with the Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) reopened the conciliation with the management of Prudential Customs and Brokerage Services, Inc. (PCBSI).
PCBSI is the new cargo-handling operator of arrastre and stevedoring services in the port of Dumaguete City.
Over a hundred workers of the port went on strike Thursday morning following the failure of the initial negotiation between the union and the management.
The National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB)-Central Visayas intervened Wednesday in the conflict between the new cargo-handling operator and port workers.
The conciliation meeting would have continued on Thursday morning but when the management failed to show up, union members went on strike.
NCMB Regional Director Edmundo Mirasol told Sun.Star that union members later agreed to stop the strike and continue talks with management on Friday morning.
Mirasol said he was surprised when he heard that the workers have staged a strike at the port. He expressed his dismay over the development but said he could not do anything but wait for the final outcome.
ALU-TUCP provincial coordinator Felizardo Calimpong told media that the management representative came late for the scheduled conciliation.
The conciliation was scheduled at 8:30 a.m. Friday at the office of the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) in Dumaguete City but the management arrived at around 9 a.m.
The workers believed that the management was not anymore interested in the negotiation.
Lawyer Joel Obar, counsel of PCBSI, explained in a separate interview that he has a court hearing scheduled ahead of the conciliation but he forgot to tell the opposing party.
He also forgot to tell the negotiating board.
Obar, however, assured that despite the commotion, management is still open to conciliation.
The lawyer went to the picket line co he could talk with Calimpong and urge him to come back to the negotiating table.
While workers stayed at the picket line on Thursday afternoon, they allowed cargo trucks to enter the port area.
At the height of the strike, union members prevented cargo trucks and PCBSI personnel from entering.
There was also tension between the blue guards and the port police. Arrastre and stevedoring operations, however, were not hampered.
Calimpong said they were not able to control the operation inside the port since they were prevented from going inside the port area.
Port manager Renato Titulenero sought police assistance to have the striking workers dispersed.
The police, however, told him that unless the strikers will become violent, they would not be dispersed.
Titulenero then called the fire station and asked for help in dispersing the strikers with the use of a water cannon.
He said a fire station employee, who answered the phone call, told him to see first if the situation was uncontrollable.
Titulenero warned that if the strikers block the cargo trucks, he would report the matter to the central office of the Philippine Ports Authority.
He asked top officials of the Philippine National Police in Manila to order the local police to disperse the strikers.
Titulenero maintained that the workers have no legal personality to stage a strike because they are not employed by the new cargo-handling operator.
Calimpong admitted that the order to go on strike came from him and he made it when he sensed that the negotiation has failed. He declared a deadlock. He explained that the management firmly refused to acknowledge the workers as employees.
Calimpong explained that management was willing to accept the original workers but as newly hired employees.
Like new applicants, the original workers will undergo a screening process.
Calimpong believed not all original workers will be hired. Hired workers will also be considered as casual employees.
