Tuesday, April 08, 2008 PPA's order to junk strikers questioned By Victor L. Camion
NEGROS Oriental officials have questioned the order of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) to exclude striking workers in the return to work order of PPA general manager Oscar Sevilla.
Dumaguete City Mayor Agustin Perdices said Representative George Arnaiz (2nd District, Negros Oriental) and Finance Secretary Margarito Teves were surprised over the non-inclusion of the strikers in the return-to-work order of the PPA.
Teves according Perdices said based on the agreement in a meeting in Malacanang, the PPA will take-over the arrastre operation upon its resumption Saturday.
It was also agreed that all "existing" port workers will be ordered to return to work.
But both Arnaiz and Teves were surprised because PPA general manager Oscar Sevilla changed the word "existing."
Sevilla, in his memorandum, according to the mayor, the strikers were not included.
Dumaguete port manager Renato Tolinero in a separate interview also emphasized that the word "existing" referred only to workers hired by Prudential Customs Brokerage Services, Inc. (PCBSI).
Perdices stressed that both Arnaiz and Teves said that Sevilla's order was not the same given by Transportation and Communication Secretary Leandro Mendoza.
Appeal
Meanwhile, the newly formed Special Crisis Management Committee (SCMC) is set to send its resolution addressed to Malacañang and furnish to all concern agencies to reconsider the PPA's order and include the strikers in the return-to-work order.
Perdices, chairman of SCMC, told media that the contents of the resolution is based on what the committee agreed in the meeting held at the mayor's office Monday morning.
It was agreed that the 30-day period of the Special Take-over Unit of the PPA in the cargo handling operations will be used for negotiations between the lower and upper management of the Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) between the PCBSI.
The negotiations will be done simultaneously in the upper and lower union and PCBSI management.
Perdices also said if the order will not be reconsidered the arrastre operation will be suspended first until the negotiation period will be finished.
Majority of the SCMC strongly opposed the deadlock of negotiation based on declaration by the management of the PPA.
Perdices, however, stressed that after a month or less than a month starting April 5, if the negotiation will be declared deadlock, the law should be implemented against the strikers.
At present, Perdices said, the strikers can stay inside the port area provided that they will be behaved.
