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Monday, March 03, 2003
Lepanto rehires union leaders; strike over
By Harley Palangchao
MANKAYAN -- The month-long labor standoff at the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company finally ended Sunday night after the company decided to rehire the 26 officials of the Lepanto Employees Union and grant the other demands of the workers.
The unexpected development contrasted with the company's ultimatum Friday, which the workers ignored, that it was poised to terminate around 700 protesting rank-and-file employees if they failed to report for work starting Saturday.
A new memorandum of agreement was also signed between the company and LEU officials during a marathon meeting that lasted for at least three hours Sunday, according to Flor Fajilan, Lepanto's personnel manager.
"At least for now, we can say that the labor strike is finally over, as in, it's over," Fajilan told Sun.Star in a telephone interview.
He added that the protesting miners are expected to report for work starting at around 10 a.m. Monday.
"It would be business as usual starting (today) and we expect that the company can recover fast from its losses."
The rally, which started February 1, caused Lepanto to incur overall production and fixed losses of as much as P200 million.
Although other Lepanto officials refused to say why they softened their hard-line stance not to readmit the terminated labor officials, Fajilan said the reason was mainly humanitarian.
"Besides, it is the demand of their members."
Darrow Odsey of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) central office, who facilitated the meeting Sunday, told Sun.Star that Lepanto and LEU officials will have their final talks anytime this week at the Mt. Data Hotel in Bauko, Mt. Province, to resolve other matters.
"We hope that both parties will resolve this matter the soonest possible time. Besides, it is a `win-win' situation for both parties for the feud to be resolved," Odsey said.
LEU members rejected the first agreement signed between their officials, Lepanto Local Staff Union, and the management at the NCMB-CAR office on February 22. The workers claimed the first agreement failed to address their demands.
The workers said the pact was silent on their demands for the recall of the terminated union officials; no compulsory holiday work or early reporting for work; payment of unused vacation and rest days; long-pending promotions and labor-only contracting.
In an open letter furnished Sun.Star early Sunday, the LEU said "there were no significant gains for the workers in the said (first) MOA (agreement) as there were no concrete commitments from the management as regards addressing our basic demands."
The letter also revealed that "as of March 1, Lepanto already posted notices for the hiring of 300 muckers and 300 miners, purportedly to enable the company to resume operations."
"Such is a very dangerous move (because) resuming (the) operations with new workforce, especially at the underground would be fatally hazardous without the presence and assistance of miners already familiar with the area. Presently, at least two shafts at level 700 of Nayac tunnel have been flooded or have caved in, while the rest of the abandoned shafts are full of poisonous gases. It will require seasoned personnel to rehabilitate the tunnels towards full operational capacity," it added.
Some 16 terminated union officials were not rehired after they opted to just get their separation and other benefits. Sun.Star Baguio |
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