DOLE council resolving bakeshop labor dispute

The Tripartite Industrial Peace Council-Cebu (TIPC) is now trying to resolve the labor dispute between the Anita’s Home Bakeshop Workers Union-Alliance of Nationalist and Genuine Labor Organization (AHBWU-ANGLO-KMU) and the bakeshop management.

Valentino Dagupan, president of AHBWU-ANGLO-KMU, said TIPC-Cebu is settling the labor dispute particularly with the pending Notice of Strike they filed at the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB).

Dagupan said they were invited to a conference at the office of Department of Labor and Employment assistant regional director Ezekiel Zarcoaga with the TIPC Board of Trustees, NCMB Director Edmund Mirasol and lawyer Francisco Mijares Jr., who represented Anita’s management.

Elpidio Caterbas, union federation representative, said among the issues that the workers presented were alleged violations of labor standards such as the non-imposition of minimum wage.

“What they are urgently demanding is to stop the Management in dismissing their fellow union officers, issuing memorandum and arbitrary penalties to their members whose only violation was being an active member of the union,” Caterbas alleged.

Caterbas said the labor row stemmed from the planned replacement of 19 rank and file employees, whose length of service are from 10 to 20 years, with part-timers or contractuals as part of cost-cutting measure.

During consultation, they told DOLE officials of some alleged violations by the management, especially the paying below the required minimum wage, non payment of benefits and payroll padding.

They were then advised by DOLE to organize a union so their cause will be protected.

Their current wages, according to Caterbas, ranged from P190, P210 and P230, which is much lower than the minimum wage in Central Visayas.

Aside from that, the workers allegedly did not enjoy a five-day emergency leave while overtime pay, night differential and holiday pays were not properly computed.

They were allegedly not also given any pay slips.

 The FREEMAN tried to call the Anita’s management for several times yesterday but it was not available for comment. — Ferliza C. Contratista/LPM