After 12 hours of negotiations, two labor unions of the Kepco-Salcon Power Corp. called off strike plans.
Union leaders and the management signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that was overseen by Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.
“KSPC and the union were able to sign an agreement at 5 a.m (in which) the management agreed to conduct an administrative reinvestigation of the case pertaining to the dismissed supervisor and to resolve the issue within two months,” the company’s press statement read.
The management said the agreement “resulted in the withdrawal of the notices of strike filed before the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB).”
A second issue in the MOA was a review of company codes.
Union leader Lowell Sanchez was sacked last March 30 for allegedly organizing a supervisors association on company time.
Jose Tomongha of the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) said Baldoz re-booked her flight back to Manila twice in order to ensure the conflict was resolved after parties failed to reach an agreement.
Under the agreement, Sanchez will be reinstated in the payroll pending the results of the reinvestigation.
If he is retained in the end, he will be paid his salary during his preventive suspension period.
The reinvestigation by the management will include representatives from the National Conciliation Mediation Board (NCMB), the governor’s office and Workers Solidarity Network as observers.
Dennis Derige, Partido ng Manggagawa spokesman, said the agreement and reinvestigation can also iron out differences between Kepco management and the labor unions.
“The original issue on the standardization of salaries will be taken up in the collective bargaining agreement,” Derige said.
He said the management agreed to entertain suggestions from the union about rules and regulations. The process will take place within six months.
Separate unions for the rank-and-file and supervisors are seeking recognition as the bargaining agent of Kepco-SPC workers.
Review
The meeting in a function room of J Centre Mall in Mandaue City started at 5 p.m. last Friday.
Baldoz, who arrived in Cebu with President Aquino for Labor Day activities, had to rebook her return flight twice.
When the mall closed for the evening, talks continued at a fast-food outlet in Lawaan, Talisay City at 11:30 p.m.
At 12 midnight, all provisions of the agreement were sent to Kepco-SPC’s top management in South Korea for review.
Both parties waited until 3:30 a.m. since the top management wanted to change the wordings of some provisions, which the union officials refused.
The agreement was singed by KSPCA representatives, lawyers Guillermo P. Dabbay, Alan Fontanosa and Christian Llido.
The two unions were represented by Vicente Unay Jr. from WSN, Alexander Ponce as president of the Kepco Cebu Employees Association, Lowell Sanchez as presidnet of the supervisors association and Derige.
NCMB-7 Regional Director Edmundo Mirasol and an NCMB mediator served as witnesses.