Two labor unions at the Central Azucarera Don Pedro Inc. (CADPI) may stage a strike after Tuesday’s negotiations on the separation package for workers affected by the mill’s closure bogged down.
National Congress of the Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines (NCUSIP) President Roland de la Cruz told the BusinessMirror in a phone interview that the CADPI management refused to budge on its position on the separation package for the 125 workers of its milling department.
The two labor unions of CADPI—the Batangas Labor Union (BLU), which covers the rank and file employees and the Professional Technical Workers Union (PTWU)—are affiliated with the NCUSIP.
“There was no agreement since the management did not present an improved offer for the [affected] workers,” de la Cruz said.
Without the compromise deal, the labor leader said they will now wait for the strike ban period to end and stage a work stoppage at the refinery of CADPI.
“What they stopped was the operation of their raw sugar milling. They will still operate their refinery. So if ever we will hold a strike, what will be affected will be the refinery operations.”
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has scheduled another conciliation and mediation meeting between the management and the CADPI workers before the end of the strike ban.
De la Cruz said the unions are hoping the management will consider their demands and will provide a better “win-win” deal during the said meeting to settle the labor dispute.
“For the side of the union, we don’t want the entire operations [of CADPI] to be affected. We just want them to make amends on the mistakes they made in their separation program, which they did not disclose to the union before its implementation,” de la Cruz said.
BLU and PTWU filed a complaint against CADPI after it suddenly announced it will shutter its milling operation last month, which will result in the displacement of 125 workers.
The labor unions charged that the move was a form of union busting, unfair labor practices, and gross violation of collective bargaining agreement.
The dispute eventually escalated to a notice of strike after CADPI management and its two unions failed to reach an agreement after several meetings called by DOLE.