Union busting still resolved: LCMC: Lepanto workers to receive unpaid wages

By Leonida Tundagui

BAGUIO CITY -- Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company agreed to pay all monetary claims of union members before end this month even as the latter are still poised to strike over other unresolved issues.

LCMC representatives agreed to the payment at the regional office of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board here during the second conciliation meeting following a notice of strike filed by the workers.

Union officers however said these were claims specified in the preventive mediation case filed by the workers’ unions two years ago.

These included backlog in payroll from October to November amounting to P44 million plus P4 million for vacation leaves, sick leaves and rest leaves.

Another P12.5 million shall be paid to local savings and cooperatives for unremitted loan payments of workers.

On unremitted SSS and Philhealth payments, the government condoned penalties to the company.

However, the workers can only avail of their benefits after six months if the company maintains good standing record.

Unremitted SSS and Philhealth contributions amounted to around P90 million.

Manuel Binhaon, Jr. president of Lepanto Employees Union-National Federation of Labor Unions-Kilusang Mayo Uno urged his members to “stay vigilant because these promises of the company will remain promises unless these are accomplished.”

Issues specified in the notice of strike were not resolved.

On the issue of union busting, the management stood by its previous position there was no union busting.

The unions, LEU-NAFLU-KMU and the Lepanto Security Force Union-NAFLU-KMU, said the retrenchment of 140 workers including union officers was a clear indication of union busting.

The company was considering the recall of the retrenched union officers while other retrenched workers will be brought to voluntary arbitration.

KMU, through its regional coordinator, Vicente Dilem assailed the company on its basis of retrenching the workers.

“The company (LCMC) is saying that the basis of retrenchment is workers inefficiency and bad record but how come they included three ‘model employees’ awarded by the company several times?”

He added “this is clearly union busting as the company wanted to replace regular workers to contractual. We condemn the illegal termination of workers while they continuously hire contractual workers who doing the same thing regular workers are doing. This is an act of circumvention of the law. The series of company’s acts dating back to 2005 is, without doubt, a clear case of union busting. ”

The two labor unions filed a notice of strike on Nov, 12 on grounds of unfair labor practice and union busting.

They alleged unfair labor practices consisting of gross violations of their respective collective bargaining agreements including unpaid wages and benefits.

Union busting consists of illegal retrenchment and reduction of work.

The labor dispute is being addressed by NCMB Director Brenda Odsey.