Mimosa CBA talks concluded

CLARK FREEPORT, Philippines – The Clark Development Corp.-Special Project for Resort Operation (CDC-SPRO) announced the “successful” conclusion of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the union members of the Mimosa SPRO.

CDC president Benigno Ricafort said the conclusion of the CBA negotiations was a “result of months of hard work,” as he cited the signing of a memorandum of agreement signed by CDC-SPRO officials and the Association of Clark Mimosa Employees recently.

“All issues have been resolved,” he said. “The CDC-SPRO has been generous, giving paramount importance to the welfare of employees at the CDC-SPRO when it decided to continue operating the tourism estate in 1999 despite the uncertainties in the business conditions at that time.”

In the MOA, the CDC-SPRO and union officials agreed on 18 non-economic and four economic benefits that include, occupational, health and safety and miscellaneous benefits; grievance machinery; separation and gratuity pay; and salary increase, among others.

“Among the other important provisions in the MOA,” Ricafort said, “is the endorsement of the SPRO employees to the new investor” subject to the latter’s management prerogative.

To assure smooth and peaceful operations of the 215-hectare Mimosa Leisure Estate and pending its transfer to a new operator, Ricafort said the MOA also included a “no strike/lockout clause.”

In 1999, CDC-SPRO took over operations of the Mimosa Leisure Estate following the non-payment of arrears of the former operator of the resort complex.