Miascor workers in Cebu staring at uncertain future

Since 1991, Edgar Morales has been working at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) where he loads and unloads bags and luggage to and from aircrafts.

He was hired by Miascor Ground Handling Corp. when the company started in 1991 even though he did not hold a college degree.

“Mao ra gyud na ako position. Pero sige ko nila gi-train hangtud karon ako na ang ramp supervisor. Na-promote ko ana na position pag 2000 (That has been my position. But they kept on training me until I became the ramp supervisor. I was promoted to that position in 2000),” the 50-year-old employee said.

But he may soon have to leave his job and start all over again somewhere as the GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC) has decided not to renew the contract of Miascor as the primary ground handling services provider in the MCIA.

The letter of award issued to Miascor, which was supposed to lead to a contract between them and the GMCAC as the ground services provider for the next seven years, was canceled.

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered last January to cancel all of Miascor’s contracts in all five airports where they are operating because of an incident in Clark where an overseas Filipino worker lost around P84,000 worth of items from his baggage.

Miascor has been given until midnight of May 24 to vacate the spaces they are occupying at the MCIA.

“Sakit gyud para namo. Mingawon mi sa among trabaho. Ug mawala sad ang among financial nga source (It hurts us. We will miss our work. And we will also lose our financial source),” Morales said.

600 workers

Morales is just one of around 600 employees of Miascor in Cebu that will be losing their jobs towards the end of May due to the cancellation of their contract.

Renante Inoc, 38, said he is worried about the impending end of their jobs especially since the eldest of his five children is about to enter college in the coming school year.

The equipment operator supervisor has been working with Miascor in the MCIA for over 10 years already.

“Lima kabuok akong anak, nag-eskwela tanan. Mag-college na ang kamaguwangan. Unya akong asawa walay trabaho, naa ra sa balay (I have five children, all are still studying. My eldest is about to enter college. My wife has no work and just stays at home),” he said.

Given their age, the employees are worried at the thought of having to look for another job and competing with much younger and skilled applicants.

Concerns

According to lawyer Earl Versoza, Miascor’s general manager for Visayas and Mindanao, the concerns of Morales and Inoc are similar to the concerns of most of their employees in Cebu.

Out of their 600 employees, around 60 percent are working below wing. These workers are mostly non-skilled or semi-skilled.

Their jobs include aircraft janitors, baggage handlers, wheelchair pushers who are mostly only high school graduates and college level people.

Other ground handling services companies have already started interviewing some of Miascor’s employees on the possibility of absorbing them once Miascor closes so they would still have work.

“But the worry of my colleagues is not just the jobs but also the seniority. They will have to start all over again. They will also start as contractuals and they will not have health benefits yet,” Versoza said.

Above wing

The rest of the 40 percent of their employees are above-wing staff or those assigned in check-in counters, loungers, among others.

These employees are mostly bachelor’s degree holders and may not have much problem looking for other jobs within the industry or even outside, he added.

Miascor has already submitted a written letter of appeal to the President’s office and was told that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) will be reviewing their operations.

But the DOTr has already said in a statement that they are bent on the shutting of its doors on Miascor and that the President does not plan on entertaining any appeals.

Miascor officials said in an earlier press conference that if they don’t get any remedies by the May 24 deadline, they will comply with the order to vacate the MCIA.

But at the same time, the company said they are also considering the possibility of filing a case in court regarding the incident.

Miascor President Gemma Sadiua earlier said that GMCAC’s cancellation of their letter of award was “unlawfully and unilaterally” made.

They said there was already a “meeting of minds” and that they have been complying with their requirements which included having to invest around P400 million in acquiring new equipment which was required by GMCAC.

When sought for comment, a GMCAC representative said they were standing by their earlier statement.

Miascor currently handles 70 percent of the ground handling activities at the MCIA. This is equivalent to 16 out of the 22 airlines currently flying in and out of the MCIA including Jin Air, Cathay Pacific, Jeju Air, Silk Air, Asiana Airlines, Air Busan, Cebu Pacific, Vanilla Air and some Chinese airlines.