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Lepanto faces two notices of strike

Unions’ Strike Vote Referendum underway

BAGUIO CITY (Apr. 14) — The Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company (LCMCo) is now in hot water as the Lepanto Employees’ Union (LEU) and the Lepanto Security Force Union (LSFU) filed separate Notices of Strike (NOS) at the National Conciliation and Mediation Board-Cordillera Administrative Region (NCMB-CAR) due to a deadlock in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and alleged union busting.

LEU president Ninian Lang-agan said in a press conference last April 11 that since the series of the CBA negotiations started, the company claimed that it is not earning.

“Kanayon nga iras-rason da a bassit ti maipaspastrek iti kompanya isunga marigatan kano a mangited kadagiti dawat mi, ngem saan kami a mamati a ta makita met ti dakkel a ganansiya ti kompanya kadagiti annual reports na.” (The company would always tell us that it is not earning when in fact it is raking in a lot of profit, and this is even cited in their annual reports.)

Lang-agan said that they held a General Membership Assembly last April 9 at the union’s office in Lepanto, Mankayan, Benguet. Some 1,500 union members attended the said membership assembly and express overwhelming support.

LEU officers revealed that the company is offering another set of CBA proposals during their conciliation meeting last Apr. 11. They also said that the company wants to have a meeting with union officials but without a mediator from the NCMB.

Lang-agan added that they are planning to proceed with a Strike Vote Referendum among their members tentatively on April 20.

Meanwhile, LSFU President Andres Victoriano claimed that the actions and attitudes of the company towards them is that of union busting. He said that the security guards of LCMCo are 129 and yet the members of their union are only 25 because they were deceived and forced to become “confidential employees”.

Victoriano stated that the company, in collaboration with the past LSFU president deceived their colleagues to become “confidential employees”. This makes them unqualified to join any union due to the nature of their employee classification as cited by the Labor Code.

Just and legitimate

Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)-Cordillera Regional Coordinator Lorico “Ka Jun” Espejo explained that the struggle of Lepanto workers is based on their actual living conditions. A mine worker’ average daily wage is P354. Espejo pointed out that workers’ day to day expenses devalue their salaries as the prices of basic goods and services have increased. The daily cost of living for a family of six in the Cordillera is P573 according to the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and the National Statistics Coordinating Board (NSCB).

Lang-agan and Victoriano agreed that the LEU and LSFU need to coordinate for the realization of their rights and welfare.

The LEU and the Lepanto Local Staff Union (LLoSU) staged a month-long strike on Feb. 2, 2003 in relation to economic demands. The unions got most their demands, including the reinstatement of retrenched union officers. # Aldwin Quitasol for NORDIS

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