Salcon management: Strike to further delay negotiations

CEBU, Philippines – Amid the threat of the Salcon Power Independent Union to file a notice of strike, the power firm’s management still hopes that the workers would not push through with it as it may cause further delay in the negotiation.

SPC Power Corporation legal counsel Allan Fontanosa, in a press conference yesterday, said that any strike would surely hamper the ongoing negotiation between the two parties.

“I hope they are not going to push through with it because it will further delay the negotiations between the union and the management,” Fontanosa said.

Fontanosa also explained that the union’s demand for “equal work, equal pay” will just create wage distortion and discrimination among the former employees of the National Power Corporation that were absorbed by Salcon.

According to him, when Salcon agreed to take over the rehabilitation, operation and management from Napocor last March 25, 1999, all the employees of state-run power firm were not laid off as their security of tenure is respected by the new management.

With such agreement, all the 160 employees of Napocor were retained by Salcon and they continue to receive the same salaries and benefits. Salcon has also hired at least 60 additional employees.

Fontanosa said that since the employees of Napocor have been working for such a long time, it follows that even if the Salcon-hired employees have the same work with that of the old employees, they may not be receiving the same salary due to long experience and employment of the latter.

“Ikaw kuno og 10 years na ka nga empleyado unya ang bag-o nga empleyado nga musulod, parehas ra mo og sweldo, di kaha to ma-disgruntled ang dugay na nagtrabaho,” Fontanosa said.

The management and the union will have another dialogue on March 5 and 6 to try to come up with a solution to the problem.

It maybe recalled that SPIU filed a notice of strike with the NCMB on March 14, 2008 due to alleged refusal of Salcon to recognize their union.

The NCMB has mediated on the labor problem as a strike against Salcon may threaten the already limited power supply in Cebu.

The union then averted its planned strike after the management granted its previous demands, which included the recognition of the union and the security of tenure.

SPC Power Corporation, which operates a 200-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Naga City, is supplying electricity to the Visayan Electric Company. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/WAB (THE FREEMAN)