THE General Alliance of Workers Associations (Gawa) is backing the move of the United Kooll Company Inc. (KCI) Labor Union-Philippine Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Workers Union (Paciwu) Chapter to file a notice of strike against the alcohol manufacturing firm based in Talisay City, Negros Occidental.
Wennie Sancho, secretary general of Gawa, said the Negros Occidental-based labor group recently convened its council of leaders under the Provincial Trade Union Bureau (PTUB).
There, Sancho said, they strongly manifested their unequivocal support to the union's move to file a notice of strike before the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) in Bacolod City on Monday, March 15.
The United KCI Labor Union is an affiliate member of Gawa, which is an alliance of 15 labor organizations in the province organized in 2012.
"We are duty-bound to assist its affiliated members and to support any and all forms of collective actions to be taken by the United KCI Labor Union," he added.
Gawa, in a statement Tuesday, March 16, said the labor union had reported to them allegations of unfair labor practices committed by some managers and supervisors who are allegedly acting like "slave drivers" and treating the workers as if they are like "work horses."
The group said there were attempts to impose work assignments arbitrarily that would cause a heavy workload to the workers.
The sufferings and oppression led the workers to organise themselves into a labor union, it added.
Sancho pointed out that the United KCI Labor Union was already certified by the Department of Labor and Employment in Western Visayas as the Sole and Exclusive Bargaining Agent (Seba) of the rank-and-file employees of the company.
Despite this, Sancho claimed, the management refused to bargain collectively with the union.
The unsolicited advice of Gawa to the management is for them to look and evaluate the policy-implementation of some of their managers and to examine the root causes as to why the workers formed the union, he said.
The union is not demanding for the "moon and the stars" in heaven, what they wanted is dignity and respect, the labor leader added.
The NCMB has scheduled the conciliation today, March 17.
Sancho said in the absence of settlement, the planned strike will be staged after the 23-day cooling-off or negotiation period.
SunStar Bacolod tried to reach the company for comment on these allegations, but they cannot be contacted through their telephone numbers. The paper remains open for their side.