Salcon workers call for equality in pay, benefits

CEBU, Philippines - Alleging persistent inequality, the Salcon Power Corporation Independent Union has demanded that the Salcon management strictly follow the company policy that reportedly requires personnel in Naga City to have equal compensation and benefits with those of their counterparts in the National Power Corporation.

SPIU president Gaudioso Iso said this principle of equality is enshrined in the Rehabilitate Operate Manage and Maintain Contract to uphold equality between former NPC with NPC personnel and former NPC with SPC directly hired employees.

He said that since the start of the ROMM Agreement Cooperation Period in 1995, SPC employees have already aired their grievance to management on the implementation of Schedule 11 of the ROMM.

The ROMM Contract between NPC and SPC was originally for 15 years, from May 1994 to May 2009 and all SPC employees reportedly signed to separate individual employment contracts intended for that period. 

When the ROMM Contract was extended to 2012 in 2004, SPC reportedly immediately announced that all employees are automatically part of that extension and those who will not remain after May 2009 would be considered resigned. 

"The employees are asking for fairness from management and to reconsider their position on this," Iso said in a press statement.

Iso explained that promoted employees shall either carry the minimum rate of SPC Pay Scale of the new position or receive a salary increase of either P1000 or P500.

He added that with all employees receiving salaries beyond Step 10 of the 1995 NPC Pay Scale, which is way above the minimum rate of the next higher position, it is allegedly “grossly unfair for their promotion salary to be based on the minimum rate of the next higher position.” 

Iso further explained that it would not comply with the ROMM Contract principle of compensation to be kept at par or better than with the NPC employees because NPC policy reportedly requires that the promotion rate “shall be in no case lower than the next step of the previous position.”

It maybe recalled that before SPC took over the operations of the Naga Power Plant Complex, there were 354 NPC permanent personnel in the plant.

In a message to The Freeman, Alfredo Ballesteros, VP for Finance and management representative to the CBA negotiation, said the company will discuss “point by point” today the issues raised by the union.

“Obviously, the well-paid union members are splitting hairs in its rage to gain more benefits, holding hostage Cebuanos and the whole of Visayas with the threat of a strike. Faced with a global crisis, now is the time for sober negotiation, not agitation, propaganda and mob rule,” Ballesteros said. – Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/JMO (THE FREEMAN)