Effect on power supply feared: Kepco strike looms

CEBU, Philippines —  A labor strike is in the offing at Korean Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) plant in the City of Naga, Cebu after members the labor union voted “yes to strike” amid mediation efforts to avert a possible crisis that is feared to affect the supply of power in the region.

Kepco Cebu Employees Association-Workers Solidarity Network (KCEA-WSN) recently held a strike voting wherein 33 out of 34 members present voted “yes to strike.”

WSN federation officer Dennis Derige told The Freeman yesterday that one ballot was spoiled while six union members were absent.

“But the 40 members are solid, they all support the strike,” said Derige.

He explained that the six members who were absent in the strike voting have valid reasons---one has to attend a sick child in the hospital while the others were on leave.

If the strike pushes through, Derige vowed that 80 percent of KEPCO’s operations will be paralyzed.

“Ma paralyzed gyud ang operation. The workers in this department are highly skilled. Dili gani na sila basta-basta lang mo absent or mo leave nga walay ikapuli kay this job is highly technical and very sensitive,” Derige said.

KEPCO owns and operates a 200-megawatt modern coal-fired power plant in the City of Naga, Cebu and supplies power to the Visayas grid, mainly to the electric cooperatives in Cebu, Negros, and Bohol.

If KEPCO operation is paralyzed, the Visayas grid will lost 200-megawatts of power supply.

Derige said they have already submitted the strike voting results to the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB-7). The cooling off period also commenced yesterday.

According to Derige, union representatives were also called to a mediation meeting yesterday to explore possible solution to the problem and prevent a full-blown strike.

The labor union maintains that the management should respect the law and recognize KCEA-WSN as the sole collective bargaining agent and agree to renegotiate their Collective Bargaining Agreement.

“We are appealing to the management to follow the law,” Derige said.

He pointed out that the management failed in its attempt to conduct their own certification election after it was denied by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-7).

With the denial, Derige said the KCEA-WSN remains the sole bargaining agent despite expiration of the union’s CBA in June 2021. Under the rules, a 60-day freedom period is allowed to contest the CBA agent after the expiration of its agreement. However, no other groups have contested that right until the period was over.

According to Derige, the management filed a petition to hold a certification election in March 2022 but it was already beyond the period allowed under the rules.

“Hopefully malamdagan ang management and mo renegotiate na sila sa CBA,” Derige added.

The union filed their notice of strike against the management last January for alleged union busting and refusal to renegotiate the worker’s CBA. — FPL (FREEMAN)