Workers to call off strike if two leaders are reinstated

An ongoing labor conflict in a City of Naga power plant is threatening to plunge Cebu province into a power crisis.

“Humihingi kami ng dispensa. Ito ang susi sa solusyon sa problema,” said Vic Unay, national coordinator for power unions of Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggawa, during a press conference yesterday.

He said the employees of Korean Electric Power Corporation –Salcon Power Corporation would not continue the labor strike on May 1 if supervisors Lowell Sanchez and Nelson Florita are reinstated by the management.

Unay, though, did not say if he was also speaking on behalf of the Kepco Cebu Employees Association-Workers Solidarity Network.

Like the Kepco Cebu Supervisors Association-Workers’ Solidarity Network, to which Sanchez is president, KCEA-WSN members also voted overwhelming last Thursday to launch a labor strike to protest some actions made by management.

KCSA-WSN complained of union busting while KCEA-WSN complained of unfair labor practice against the management. Both unions have filed their notice of strike last April 8. One of KCSA’s demands is the re-instatement of Sanchez and Florita.

Sanchez was a Safety Division supervisor while Florita was the Operations Department assistant manager prior to their firing from their jobs last March 30 and 31, respectively.

Sanchez and Florita were removed for allegedly helping the rank-and-file employees form a union, an allegation they both denied.

Unay said if Sanchez and Florita get their jobs back, they would call off the strike, which he said would deprive the whole of Cebu and even Mactan island of power.

The decision, he said, would depend on the result of the next conciliation and mediation hearing on April 28, 2015, when the National Conciliation and Mediation Board-7 would present its decision on the proposals submitted by both management and the employees’ unions.

Last Thursday night, Sanchez said 11 of 13 union members voted yes for them to go on strike; the two who did not vote were absent.

The KCEA-WSN, on the other hand, had 44 of its 46 saying yes to staging a strike.

Yesterday, labor unions of Montebello Hotel, Shemberg Industries, General Milking Corp., Lami Foods, prince Warehouse, Summit Circle, Bohol Light, Bohol Limestone, London Biscuit, and General Milling Corp. also joined the press conference as a show of support along with the National Confederation of Transportworkers Union.

“We are very hopeful nga ma-resolve ni,” Sanchez said.

Earlier, Department of Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla said KepcoSPC has assured that their power plants would continue to operate should a strike by its rank-and-file employees and supervisors pushes through.

He had said that Kepco-SPC have prepared contingency measures in the eventuality of a labor strike, as he appealed for the workers not to go on strike this summer.

“Ayaw sad ninyo itunong nga summer, kung pwede sa Hulyo na lang mo pag-strike. Pero kung mahimo, mas maayo nga wa na lang gyuy strike mahitabo,” Petilla appealed with the Kepco-SPC workers.

Sanchez, though, had said they only the management heeding their demands would prevent them from going on a strike.

The Kepco-SPC employees have called on the management to grant their demands for higher wage and to put a stop to harassment and intimidation against workers exercising their right to join unions.— Frannie S. Bayron, CNU Intern/RHM