Some operations of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) and certain processes in the implementation of the Sugarcane Industry Development Act (SIDA) are affected by the non-renewal of 191 job order workers.
Atty. Dino Yulo, SRA Board Member told newsmen this morning the service contract workers or job order employees were not renewed after their 6-month contracts were not acted upon by the board before the June 30 expiry.
Yulo said for two times already the board failed to have a quorum, thus the agenda on the renewal of the workers was not taken up.
“We cannot allow them to go on working even if they offered to volunteer,” he said.
Yulo said some of the workers, bulk of them are in Bacolod and Negros Occidental, are involved in office and field works, in shipments and also in research and technical aspects.
He said another board meeting is set tomorrow in Manila and he hopes it will have a quorom and be able to tackle the job order matter.
He said vacant positions are gradually being filled up at SRA and many of the workers might be qualified for certain posts.
Some of the affected employees and workers expressed hope this morning that they will be renewed, adding that this is the first time they were not renewed before their contracts ended.
The contract workers told newsmen they are appealing for the renewal of their contract within this week.* (Arman Toga, NDB)