Bacolod City – After almost five months of negotiation, a deadlock in Collective Bargaining Negotiation was declared by the PACIWU United KCI Labor Union against the management of KOOLL Company on September 29, 2020, a press release from the labor union said.
The counter-proposal submitted by management contains onerous provisions that violates the rights of the union members. In addition, the economic provisions submitted by KOOLL management contains zero increase in the salaries and wages of the workers, it said.
The PACIWU United KCI Labor Union filed a notice of strike before the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) Regional Office on October 1. The last mediation meeting on October 21, 2021 did not reach any compromise agreement, the press release said.
PACIWU authorized representative Wennie Sancho, together with KCI United Labor Union president Ricky Langrio are set to meet the media on October 26 to articulate their plans on the labor strike that will take place after the observance of the cooling-off period, it said.
The counter-proposals submitted by the management are considered “documents of oppression” by the union because it has reduced the collective negotiation into a “collective begging agreement”.
Hernani Braza, national president of the Philippine Agricultural Commercial Industrial Workers Union (PACIWU) had already alerted all affiliated unions in the province to support the labor strike in KOOLL Company. Other militant and progressive groups had also manifested their support on the intended strike.
Sancho said that the union members had already reached the limits of their patience. The KOOLL Co. management under the leadership of lawyer Jean Chua is responsible for the dilatory tactics and other schemes to violate the rights of the workers to self-organization and collective bargaining.
This is the third notice of strike filed by KCI United Labor Union against the adamant position of management not to recognize the Union. The Union is set to hold a strike vote on the labor dispute in KOOLL Company.
(Chrysee Semillano via The Visayan Daily Star (TVDS), photo courtesy of TVDS)