NCMB-Cebu  settles NORECO labor dispute

Remus Caducoy 

Cebu City—Fully understanding the concerns and position of management, Philippine Agricultural Commercial and Industrial Worker’s Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines -- Negros Oriental Electric Cooperative 1(PACIWU-TUCP-NORECO I) agreed to defer negotiation of its first collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the Negros Oriental Electric Cooperative (NORECO 1).   

The agreement, which was forged during the conciliation conference held at the NORECO 1 plant in Bindoy, Negros Oriental on September 28, 2011, in effect settled the notice of strike case filed by the union on September 19, 2011, NCMB Region 7 Director Edmundo T. Mirasol said. 

The union has alleged in its notice of strike that management refused to honor its duty to bargain, after the company failed to submit its counter proposal to the union’s offer. 

“The parties agreed to defer the negotiations to February 8, 2012. They also agreed to have continuous and bi-monthly meetings commencing on October 14 and 28. Their subsequent meetings will be agreed by the parties, in preparation for the formal negotiation of the terms and conditions of employment,” Mirasol said. 

”With the agreement, the parties are assured of continued harmony in the workplace,” he added. 

Earlier, management’s legal counsel, Atty. Whelma Yap, has said that management would only sit down with the union if the union could prove that its members were not consumer-members. 

She stressed that union members cannot bargain with themselves if indeed they are members of the cooperative. 

Director Mirasol and Conciliator-Mediator Rosemarie G. Oxinio facilitated the settlement. 

Both assisted the parties draw different options to resolve the issue. They advised the parties to look into their constitution and by-laws, as well as to other resources to help them address the issue. 

NORECO 1 is a power utility industry located in Tinaogan, Bindoy, Negros Oriental. It employs ninety-eight workers, fifty-two of which are union members.

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