Workers, bakeshop mgmt clarify union busting issue

CEBU, Philippines – The exiting labor union of Anita’s Home Bakeshop is appealing to the other workers who are now affiliated with another union to stop harassing those who do not want to join the labor militant group.

Gilberto Burog, president of the Anita’s Home Bakeshop, Inc. Employees Association, is requesting the Alliance of Nationalist Genuine Labor Organization-Kilusang Mayo Uno to respect their existing collective bargaining agreement with the management, which will still expire on January 31, 2013.

Burog said that AHBIEA has been registered as legitimate labor organization since July 30, 1986 and ANGLO-KMU cannot claim that the company is engaging into union busting.

“Sila man ang nag-union raiding. Kay naa na man existing nga worker’s union ang company sukad sa una pa,” Burog said.

He, however, blamed the Department of Labor and Employment for registering the Anita’s Home Bakeshop Worker’s Union-ANGLO-KMU on April 2, 2008 without looking through its own records.

“Ang amoang CBA mo-expire inig 2013 pa unya ang DOLE ni-register sa among union (AHBWU-ANGLO-KMU)” Burog said.

Anita’s Home Bakeshop has been peacefully operating for over 40 years already without any labor dispute until last year when AHBWU-ANGLO-KMU filed a notice of strike on the ground of union busting.

Benjamin Cabinian, Anita’s operations manager, asked how could they be accused of union busting by a union that is resorting to “union raiding.”

Anita’s has currently 164 workers and only 16 of them are members of ANGLO-KMU.

When ANGLO-KMU was formed sometime in April of last year, it has 33 members but eight got terminated on the ground of negligence, theft, lack of trust and confidence, among others.

Cabinian said the terminated workers couldn’t claim of union busting as they were terminated long before they become members of AHBWU-ANGLO-KMU.

Anita’s has branches located in Fuente Osmeña, SM, Guadalupe, Tabunok, Banawa, Mabolo, Sto. Niño, E-Mall and three branches in Mandaue City (Centro, Maguikay and Cabangcalan) and some push carts scattered different parts of Metro Cebu.

Cabinian also expressed apprehension when two of their bakers joined last Monday’s protest led by KMU and other militant labor groups. He said the matter is already forwarded to the company’s legal department for proper sanction.

All employees of Anita’s Home Baskeshop are automatically members of the AHBIEA since the company is adopting a close-shop agreement, wherein once a worker joins the company, he or she is automatically a member of the union.

Cabinian explained that because of this close-shop agreement, the 16 members of AHBWU-ANGLO-KMU who are still currently working in the company could have been terminated for joining another union.

“But I did not do that. They have families to feed. I am being humanitarian to these workers. I hope they respect the existing CBA,” Cabinian said. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/WAB  (THE FREEMAN)