Nenaco faces bleak financial future

Domestic shipping firm Negros Navigation Co., Inc. (Nenaco) faces a bleak financial future after hundreds of port workers staged a picket the other day at the North Harbor in Manila to protest, among others, the alleged non-payment of their arrastre services.

Workers of the North Star Port Development Corp. are demanding that Negros Navigation pay its outstanding dues amounting to millions of pesos arising from stevedoring and arrastre services in order that North Star can pay its financial obligations to its restive workers.

North Star and United Dockhandlers, Inc. (UDI) are the two biggest groups of port workers at North Harbor, with the North Star providing stevedoring and arrastre services at Piers 2, 4 and 10 while the rest of the pier areas are being serviced by UDI and other smaller arrastre groups. Pier 2 is the assigned pier area for Negros Navigation.

According to Angelina Suansing-Gorospe, senior vice president for finance of North Star, Negros Navigation has failed to settle its accounts with their company which run into millions of pesos, causing the company to negate its financial obligations to its workers and thus causing demoralization among them.

Gorospe mentioned a memorandum from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) which states that a shipping line has to pay the arrastre services rendered by the dockworkers seven days after the submission of the bill.

Gorospe added the North Star labor group is also demanding that Negros Navigation lift its order banning the entry of one of their colleagues which the shipping firm termed as a "loss of confidence."

Meanwhile, Negros Navigation sources confirmed reports that the company has terminated its membership with the Domestic Shipping Association, but refused to state the reason. It, however, denied that Daniel "Bitay" Lacson had resigned as chairman of the board of Negros Navigation.

Corporate communications officials of the shipping firm said clarifications would soon be issued by the company’s designated spokesman after the holiday season, especially on allegations that Negros Navigation has hired the services of five high-salaried foreigners but is continually reneged on paying its Filipino employees on time.

The North Star picket was eventually lifted in the afternoon after the workers were promised that Negros Navigation officials would have a dialogue with the dockworkers on Jan. 3.