PRESS RELEASE
NATIONAL CONCILIATION AND MEDIATION BOARD
REGIONAL CONCILIATION AND MEDIATION BRANCH XI
27 JULY 2018

Lapanday Foods Corp., union use Grievance Machinery to address work issues

The Regional Conciliation and Mediation Branch XI facilitated the settlement of the labor dispute filed against Lapanday Foods Corporation by the Integrated Supervisors Union-Associated Professional, Supervisory, Office and Technical Employees Union (APSOTEU)-Trade Union Congress of the Phil. (TUCP) over violation of the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement between the two parties, RCMB XI Officer-in-Charge Aerrine Marie R. Reyes said citing reports.

The Integrated Supervisors Union- APSOTEU-TUCP filed a preventive mediation case with the branch alleging management violated their CBA specifically Article X in relation to the transfer of one of the union members and status of the affected HIJO supervisors.

The issues stemmed from the recent takeover of farm operations by Nader & Ebrahim s/o Hassan Philippines, Inc.

After exhaustive conciliation efforts, parties agreed to discuss the issues through the company’s grievance machinery relative to the workers affected by the transfer of operations by Lapanday Foods Corporation to Nader & Ebrahim s/o Hassan Philippines and discuss the status of the affected HIJO union members.

“The parties informed the branch that the issues has been resolved on July 5, 2018 after thorough deliberations,” OIC Reyes said.

“The union agreed to the transfer of one of the union members to HIJO Harvest Operations effective July 4, 2018,” she added.

The said transfer was accepted by the union and the affected worker.

Management further agreed for the payment of 50% separation pay to affected workers who are interested to be reassigned to other LFC farms and 100% separation pay to those who are no longer interested to continue with their service.

Lapanday Foods Corp. is a domestic corporation engaged in plantation and exportation of Cavendish banana.  It is located at Maryknoll Drive, Pampanga, Davao City.

Integrated Supervisors Union-APSOTEU-TUCP represents 51 supervisors for collective bargaining purposes and is headed by Associated Labor Union-Southern Mindanao Region Industrial Relations Officer Simplecio S. Paglinawan, Jr.

END/ Sheila A. Rivera