MARIVELES, Bataan – Workers on strike in one of the factories at the Freeport Area of Bataan here were back to work Thursday after the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) interceded in the settlement of the dispute between labor and management.
AFAB information officer Hazel Keith Ellorin said on Friday AFAB administrator Emmanuel Pineda immediately held a dialogue with leaders of the workers and management officials of FCP to thresh out the root of the problem complained by the workers.
Lt. Col. Cesar Lumiwes, Mariveles police chief, reported that more or less 1,000 FCP employees held a noise barrage in the factory premises Wednesday afternoon for delayed payment of wages and alleged non-remittance of Social Security System contributions.
Lumiwes said he deployed a police team to maintain peace and order in the area.
FCP is a Hongkong company engaged in the production of luxury handbags and small leather goods since 2012. North America, Asia, and Europe are its export markets.
Ellorin said the FCP on Thursday started paying workers their delayed salaries. A collective bargaining agreement is pending with the Department of Labor and Employment.
She said AFAB impressed upon the workers that it understood their plight but that safety protocols should be followed because of the ongoing pandemic.
“Nawa ay maunawaan din ng lahat na bagama’t may karapatan tayong magpahayag ay may pananagutan at responsibilidad din tayo sa pagpapanatili ng kaligtasan ng lahat sa gitna ng pandemyang ating kinakaharap (May everyone also understand that although we have the right to express ourselves, we also have obligation and responsibility to maintain the safety of all in the midst of the pandemic we are facing),” Ellorin said.
“Kaugnay nito, isinasagawa na ng AFAB ang mga nararapat na hakbang upang matugunan ng FCF management ang mga katanungan ng mga manggagawa nito para sa mabilis at mapayapang pagkakaroon ng resolusyon ukol sa insidenteng naganap noong Miyerkules (“In this regard, AFAB is already taking the necessary steps so that FCF management can respond to the questions of its workers for a quick and peaceful resolution of the incident that took place on Wednesday),” she said. (PNA)
