By ALDWIN QUITASOL
www.nordis.net

“In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, as ‘right-to-work.’ It provides no ‘rights’ and no ‘works.’ Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining… We demand this fraud be stopped.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

Finally, the people behind the move to organize another union in the Mankayan mine site were identified. They had solicited signatures among their fellow mine workers on the ruse of building a better union that will truly look after the welfare of its members.

To make their arguments sound more convincing, they claim that they had already recruited more than half the number of members of the existing union. They also claim that their attempt to organize another local union is legal and within the freedom period as provided if the 24th Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) has lapsed, and that the 25th CBA is not registered as certified by the Bureau of Labor Relations of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

During a “freedom period” where union members prepare for a Certification Election (CE), any legitimate group of workers for clear reasons are free to contest the existing union in the CE. In the case of the Lepanto mine workers, the 24th CBA was signed in 2008, and the life span of that agreement is five years. The union negotiations in 2011 was actually for the extension of the 24th CBA.

If the 24th CBA was not extended then this would approximately be the time for the freedom period. It is no wonder there are these actions now inside the mine to disaffiliate workers from the existing union and separate them from the known militant and progressive labor federation.

This kind of move can only be suspect. If the issues they raise against the incumbent union are not valid and not brought up for discussion in the proper forum? or as a campaign issue? If there is no visible or popular support for their call for a CE instead of them just claiming the legit union’s roster as their members or supporters?

These people who say broke away from the union, may have yellow union interests (as opposed to militant) or support behind them, or also possibly the support of management or company interests, to break the existing union. There can be a number of anti-labor moves against the “real workers’ union” especially when the union is viewed as weakened, or lacking member support.

For years before the existing union was affiliated with the militant national labor alliance, a culture of leader centered and “leave it to the lawyer” attitude reigned over the union members. The members had no idea what their leaders were doing because of the absence of transparency. Then when CBA negotiations come, the table battle lasts only a day or two as the officers, the lawyers and the management have already “agreed” without the participation of the union’s membership.

This time at the mine site, a new contesting so-called legitimate union petitioned for a CE to challenge the incumbent unions and obviously to dis-affiliate it from the progressive labor organizations. And if this happens, some individuals will be back to rubbing elbows with the management at the expense of the workers. # nordis.net