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Lepanto unions to pursue strike

BAGUIO CITY (May 1) — The battle of the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Corporation (LCMCo) employees for just wages and benefits has yet to end.

Two years after their last strike, the Lepanto Employees Union (LEU) and Lepanto Security Force Union (LSFU) filed a notice of strike at the National Conciliation and Mediation Board- Cordillera Administrative Region (NCMB-CAR) which is set on May 12, if LCMCo again fails to give the workers demands.

In an interview, LEU President Ninian K. Lang-agan said that they have already filed Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) proposals with the LCMCo management.

In the CBA, the employees asked for P27 salary increase for the first year, P27 for the second year and P40 for the third year. Other benefits such as the supply of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and two sacks of rice every year are included in the CBA proposal.

LCMC filed for an Assumption of Jurisdiction (AJ) on the pending strike at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

The Labor Code allows a strike when it undergoes the legal procedures defined by DOLE. But the DOLE secretary or its representative can order an AJ. In this case, DOLE then can compel to decide on the issue. It can declare the strike illegal if the union pursues the strike. In case of an AJ, the management can terminate the leaders of the strike if they would push through desoite the AJ.

“Sapay koma ta malpasen daytoy. Haan ni kayat nga adda ti sabali a maki-negotiate. Dapat kuma ket management ken unyon ti agsa-sango. Nabayagen daytoy nga kaso ket dapat kuma nalpasen nu nakisango da nga usto. Ti kayat mi laeng ket ited da ti usto para kadagiti minero.” Lang-agan said. (We hope this would end in no time at all. We do not like other groups to negotiate in our behalf. It should be the management and the union at the negotiating table. This case has been here for long and it could have been resolved had the management faced us in due time. All we wanted was for the Management to give what is due to miners.)

He also added that the management is starting to pressure the employees through psychological warfare. Lang-agan called on the media to be fair in reporting the issue, adding that the media should also report the employees’ situation.

In their strike in February 2003, the company pressured the workers by releasing a notice of mass termination and harassing and retrenching union leaders. The strike lasted for 30 days where 17 miners were illegally detained and two others died. Neighboring communities expressed their support by providing supplies such as food. They also stood with the family of the miners and the employees at the picket line during the strike.

Union members said that the LCMCo is said to be one of the highest earning mining companies in Asia. American companies NM Rothschild and Dredsner AG allegedly infused fresh capital for its operations. Ivanhoe Corporation, a Canadian company also brought stocks from Lepanto.

More than 1600 LEU members are now preparing for the strike. # Carole Jean Cupag and Kristine Marie Torres, UP interns for NORDIS

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