Oil Mills Group employees get early Christmas bonus

MANILA, Philippines - The CIIF-Oil Mills Group has given its employees an “early Christmas bonus” after newly designated CIIF president and CEO Jesus Lim Arranza decided to save part of the P9-million annual travel expenses normally allotted to his position.

“I don’t intend to travel that much so I asked the accounting department to compute how much will be needed to increase the salaries of our key personnel and regularize our casual employees. They said it is only P5 million so I immediately approved it effective Oct. 1,” Mr. Arranza said.

The Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), an umbrella organization of labor unions in the country, said “Mr. Arranza walks his talk because we know that immediately after he was appointed as president and CEO of the CIIF Oil Mills Group, he ordered the regularization of hundreds of employees in the plants that were on casual status for several years. He also protects the jobs of the Filipino workers with his advocacies against smuggling and the Buy Pinoy – Buy Local campaign with the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

BMP president Loedy de Guzman said “Arranza has joined us in several protest actions and has established a strong relationship with the BMP for two decades since the time of our late leader Ka Popoy Lagman. Even if he is representing the industry, his heart is also for the common people, the workers and the peasants.”