Carmen Copper union threatens to hold strike

Officers and members of the “Panaghiusa a mga Mammumuo sa Carmen Copper” (PAMCC) and the Association of Genuine Labor Organization (AGLO) raise their fists in a show of solidarity as they announce their plan to stage a strike. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

A LABOR union is threatening to hold a strike against Carmen Copper Corp (CCC), a mining company in Toledo City for alleged violations of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The Panaghiusa sa mga Mamumuo sa Carmen Copper (PAMCC) yesterday filed a notice of strike before the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

“The company has violated provisions of our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and unfair labor practices. We will respect the cooling off period but after that, we will hold a strike,” said PAMCC secretary Mark Anthony Cuizon in a press conference yesterday.

The union is composed of 3,020 of the company’s 3,400 regular workers.

Cuizon said the strike will apparently cripple the company’s operations.

The union cited several violations and lack of implementation of some provisions of their CBA including their next of kin provision, uniform, job classification, medicine allowance, hiring of news workers and double standards of company policies among others.

They also alleged that the company illegally dismissed 30 regular workers and PAMCC members, non-regularization of 250 casual employees and interference of the CCC in union affairs.
Their CBA was signed in 2012 and is effective until next year.

While they threatened a strike, the union hopes to resolve the issue through negotiations during the 15-day cooling off period.