Pressure mounts vs. Sulpicio ban

More than 300 employees of Sulpicio Lines trooped to the regional office of the Maritime Industry Authority yesterday to step up pressure on the government to lift its order grounding all ships of the company.

The grounding was ordered in the wake of the Princess of the Stars tragedy in which the company flagship and biggest ship afloat in the Philippines capsized in a storm last month, killing more than 800 passengers and crew.

The grounding allegedly wrought havoc on business in Cebu as Sulpicio ships accounted for 40 percent of the cargo shipping market.

Unable to lift the grounding, despite appeals by businessmen and members of a shipping federation for President Arroyo to do so, Sulpicio earlier this week laid off at least 136 employees making up the crew of eight ships now tied down at the Cebu port.

The Department of Labor and Employment admitted it considers the loss of jobs of Sulpicio employees as a “catastrophe” to the labor sector.

While Sulpicio said the terminations were only temporary and that the laid off workers would be rehired once the Marina allows the grounded ships to resume sailing, still their union fears that if that does not happen, all 5,000 workers of the company would eventually meet the same fate.

The employees who trooped to the Marina, all affiliated with the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, the country’s largest union, said the government should listen to their plight and not just the side of the victims of the tragedy.

According to them, like the victims of the tragedy, they too were badly affected because the grounding of Sulpicio ships caused them to lose their jobs.

Alex Damole, president of the union, said their families will suffer if Sulpicio is unable to resume operations.

“Will the Marina wait until even the living will also die, “ Damole said.

Some of the terminated employees claim their children have stopped schooling when they lost their jobs.

Marina regional director Glenn Cabanez met employees and union leaders at his office to personally listen to their sentiments.

But he said his office cannot act on the demand of the employees because it is the Marina central office in Manila that decides on such things.

All that he assured them was that their demands will be forwarded promptly to their Manila office.

They are demanding that after inspection by Marina, the grounded ships should be allowed to promptly sail again.

DOLE regionasl director Elias Cayanong said he is saddened by the loss of jobs of the Sulpicion personnel.

Sulpicio has said it will be extending financial assistance to the terminated employees.

According to Cayanong the Personnel Management Association of the Philippines has agreed to help Sulpicio employees by absorbing them into the work force of its member companies.

“They have varied skills. They can work in the tourism industry. They can work in hotels because some are cooks and had training in entertaining guests. Some are also skilled workers,” he said.

Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, angered by the tragedy, said he will only endorse the resumption of Sulpicio operations if “there is a change in the management of the shipping company.

Osmeña told reporters he is not against Sulpicio resuming operations but that he would want a change in management, “a management that will care for the people. “

“I am not against Sulpicio reopening. Just change the management because otherwise after the last tragedy, what? Back to normal? when are we going to learn our lesson?,” Osmeña said.

The mayor said a change in management does not mean he favors the government to take over Sulpicio. He said what he wants is for the young generation of the Go family to run the company.

“Why don’t they give it to the new blood? The ones who face the people like Ryan?These are the people that I know had a hard time in facing people.These are the people who wont put money consideration above safety,” he said. – Jose Sollano, Wenna Berondo and Jasmin Uy/JST