Labor Secretary to Arbitrate San Miguel Mills dispute

Ema  A. Aguirre

            The parties at San Miguel Mills Inc. have chosen Labor Secretary Rosalinda D. Baldoz to arbitrate their dispute, NCMB Executive Director and Officer-in-Charge, Office of the Undersecretary  for Labor Relations Reynaldo R. Ubaldo  announced recently. 

            He said the agreement to submit the case to Voluntary Arbitration by OSEC capped the settlement of the Notice of Strike filed by the Purefoods Flour Mills Employees Union against the company.   

Purefoods Flour Mills Employees Union, which represents the rank and file employees filed on December 9, 2012 a notice of strike with RCMB IV-A alleging bargaining deadlock, specifically: (1) scope /regularization, (2) job security, (3) wages, (/4) working days, (5) seniority pay, (6)overtime pay and meal subsidy, (7) general leave, (8)  hospitalization, (9) post employment, (10) bonuses, (11) other fringe benefits, and (12) shuttle/bus service. 

The dispute started when negotiations for the  5-year CBA from 2011-2016 ended in a deadlock.  The 3-year CBA between San Miguel Mills, Inc. and  PFEU expired last 31 July 2011.  Since then a new CBA has yet to be concluded after almost six (6) months.    

On December 23, 2011, the Union conducted a strike vote at the San Miguel Mills, Inc., Batangas plants, of which majority of the members voted to declare a strike.   

On January 9, 2012, the end of the strike ban period, conciliator-mediator Mario Agustin Minoria, who handled the case, continued with the marathon conciliation mediation proceedings in an effort to keep the union from going on strike.  He succeeded in persuading the union to extend the strike ban to January 16, 2012, to maintain status quo, and to meet again on 13 January 2012 in a mandatory conciliation-mediation conference that would be presided by the OSEC. 

            On January 13, 2012, Secretary Rosalinda D. Baldoz dispatched RCMB NCR OIC and Labatt Leonida V. Romulo and conciliator-mediator Jay Javines to Calamba City to assist OIC Dir. George Ridad and conciliator-mediator Minoria  with the case.  Labatt Romulo and her team managed to convince the parties to submit their dispute to arbitration by the Secretary, ending the month-old dispute  and ensuring industrial peace in the company.   

            Executive Director Ubaldo praised the efforts of the conciliating team in effecting an early amicable settlement to the dispute, and lauded the parties for choosing a peaceful settlement rather than pushing through with a strike. The agreement also manifests the trust and confidence of the parties in the objectivity and sense of fairness of the Secretary,  he said. 

             San Miguel Mills, Inc. a subsidiary of San Miguel Purefoods Company, produces and markets flour, with its mill  in Mabini, Batangas   as its main production facility. It is the first flour mill in the country to receive an  ISO9002 Certification. It employs more or less 300 workers.