Talks continue today on Anita’s labor row

 The Workers Union of Anita’s Home Bakeshop holds today its fifth negotiation with the management after it filed a notice of strike accusing the management of unfair labor practices and union busting, and demanding for the status quo of some dismissed employees who were union officials.

Elpidio Caterbas, of Alliance of Nationalist and Genuine Labor Union- Kilusang Mayo Uno (ANGLO-KMU), the adviser of the Workers Union, told The Freeman yesterday that the union had filed a notice of strike last May 2, and a preliminary conference on the matter was done at the National Conciliation and Mediation Board last May 7.

Expected to be tackled in today’s talks at NCMB are the workers’ demand for a return to work order for all dismissed employees, and to stop transferring of workers to different branches, and defer investigation of suspended workers until the union’s petition for certification election is resolved by the Department of Labor and Employment-7.

There is however now a question on what union is registered with the DOLE-7 because the management has argued that it had recognized and even had a collective bargaining agreement with another union consisting of about 80 employees.

The management had opposed to the Workers Union’s notice of strike and petition for certification election on the ground that it has an existing CBA, with an employees’ union, registered at DOLE-7 last March 12.

The union however assailed this alleging that this was management’s way of countering union activity, besides the alleged harassment of its members “days before and after (it was) able to organize (the union)” last April 22.

Anita’s Home Bakeshop has 18 branches operating in various cities of metro Cebu. It has a total workforce of about 164 employees and with about 94 rank and file employees assigned to its branches.

According to the union, the labor dispute started sometime in the later part of 2007 when some regular employees (of 10 to 20 years of service) were about to be replaced with part-timers due to cost-cutting measures.

This caused the employees panic on the security of tenure, thus last January some 19 workers went to DOLE-7 for advice and consultation on their job status.

In the course of consultation, there were irregularities allegedly discovered to have been committed by the management, such as non-compliance of the minimum wage law, among others.

The DOLE-7 eventually advised the workers to organize into a union to protect their cause. After the union registration however, the management allegedly began “harassing” some union members by suspending and terminating them from service.

These accusations came from the union yet because the management has yet to issue its official stand on the matter. The latter, during its negotiation talks at the NCMB, insisted that it has recognized another union, allegedly ahead of the Workers Union. This issue is among the agenda in the talks today at NCMB. — Ferliza C. Contratista/RAE