Philex Mining to Present Revised Labor Offer for New Padcal Union Vote
Key Takeaways
- •Philex Mining will submit a revised labor offer covering collective bargaining agreement benefits to Padcal mine workers, who will vote on whether to accept or reject the package.
- •The National Conciliation and Mediation Board, through its National Capital Region and Cordillera Administrative Region offices, will prepare and administer the union vote following an Oct. 12 conciliation-mediation conference held at the Department of Labor and Employment's invitation.
- •The company has not disclosed the specific terms of the revised offer or the schedule for the balloting.
- •Mining and processing activities at Padcal continued despite a strike that began on Sunday, with preliminary reports indicating production and output levels were close to normal pending a finalized daily report.
- •Shares in Philex, one of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd.'s Philippine investments, fell 1.28% to close at P10.84 apiece on Tuesday.
Philex Mining Corp. said it will present a revised labor offer to workers at its Padcal mine for a fresh round of voting, as talks continue over a labor dispute at the company's operations in Benguet province.
In a disclosure to the stock exchange on Tuesday, the miner said the new offer would cover benefits under the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the Philex Padcal Rank-and-File Union, which is affiliated with the National Mines and Allied Workers Union (NAMAWU) Local 101. The fresh balloting will put the acceptance or rejection of the revised package in the hands of the union's members.
"The company shall list and present its improved offer which shall include all the relevant and rightful benefits from the NAMAWU CBA," Philex said.
The announcement followed a conciliation-mediation conference between company and union representatives on Oct. 12, held at the invitation of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE).
According to Philex, the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), the government agency that handles conciliation and mediation of labor disputes, acting through its offices in the National Capital Region and the Cordillera Administrative Region, will prepare and administer the vote. The company did not disclose the specific terms of the revised offer or the schedule of the balloting, leaving the scope of the package and the timing of the vote as details to watch as the process advances.
"The company will continue to ensure the safe and orderly management and operation of the Padcal mine," Philex said.
In a statement on Monday, the company said mining and processing activities at Padcal were continuing despite a strike that began on Sunday amid the dispute. Preliminary reports indicated that production and output levels that day were close to normal, although the daily production report had yet to be finalized; the finalized report will provide the confirmed production figures for that day.
Philex is among the Philippine investments of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., which also holds interests in Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and PLDT Inc.
Shares in Philex fell 1.28% to close at P10.84 apiece on Tuesday.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Alexandria Grace C. Magno, BusinessWorld
Source: BusinessWorld
