|
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Garment firm vows to pay displaced workers
By Dante M. Fabian
ANGELES CITY -- Hundreds of workers displaced by the closure of the Golbon Garment Factory Corporation (GGFC) inside the Export Processing Zone Authority (Epza)-run Angeles Livelihood Village are still hoping to receive separation and other benefits from the company, amounting to P17 million.
Randy Amurao, president of the Lakas Manggagawa ng GGFC, said the former employees have been waiting for the initial checks equivalent to 40 percent of their claims.
This, as the workers' group informed Councilor Jay Sangil that the Golbon factory management has again promised to release the partial payments Thursday.
The City Council, through Sangil, earlier passed a resolution asking the company officials, a certain Sandra Enriquez who represents GGFC, to immediately pay the benefits of its 712 workers.
Amurao said the Golbon management has promised to release the benefits in four installments as set forth in a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the labor union in the presence of lawyers and officials of the Department of Labor and Employment's (Dole) National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB).
He said the release of the initial installment as specified in the MOA has been scheduled before but upon the requests of the Golbon management, the date has been moved several times and these have not been paid to the workers.
Amurao said Enriquez told him that the initial amount will be finally released Thursday in a scheduled meeting at the NCMB office in San Fernando City.
He said the workers are awaiting payments with amounts ranging from P40,000 to P50,000.
A copy of the MOA stated that the company would initially give the first installment of their separation pay and not the total payment.
However, Amurao said the owner told them that the scheduled day of payment would only be a meeting and not a distribution of pay-checks to the workers.
GGFC gave a notice of closure on May 30, a month before it stopped operation and stated in the MOA that it was willing to pay all its obligations to all the displaced workers.
In a talk with Sangil, Enriquez said the Chinese owner of the factory, Tse Yatsun, is willing to pay the workers and is still waiting for the money.
Sangil said the workers should be paid in full as required by law.
Based on the installment scheme, 40 percent of the total payment will be given initially; the 20 percent is scheduled to be paid on September 30; 25 percent will be given on December 15; and 15 percent will be paid on February 28 of next year. The management, based on the MOA, has agreed to issue post-dated checks.
The workers said the money to be used in paying their benefits are reportedly expected to come from a company that intended to purchase the factory.
However, workers expressed apprehensions that this would not push through since they also have information that the supposed buyer has backed out of the deal.
(June 16, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
|
