The protest action continued yesterday even as the Department of Labor earlier ordered the strikers to return to work and certified the dispute for compulsory arbitration by the National Labor Relations Commission.
The strike apparently stemmed from union rivalry between Sulpicio’s unlicensed crew affiliated with the Associated Labor Union and the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU).
Jaime Paglinawan, KMU executive vice chairman for Central Visayas, called the return-to-work order a "sham."
Victoriano Go, senior vice president of the Sulpicio Group of Companies, said his company has already lost revenues of at least 40 percent because of the strike. — Freeman News Service