NEWS RELEASE
National Conciliation and Mediation Board
Regional Conciliation and Mediation Branch 8
31 January 2016

Tacloban City, Leyte – Four female employees of the Biliran Electric Cooperative (BILECO) received their maternity leave benefits after the settlement of the Preventive Mediation case filed by the union raising the issue on unclaimed maternity leave benefits and employee overload work compensation with the Regional Conciliation and Mediation Branch 8, Officer in Charge Francis A. Gonzalo, Jr. said.

“The union claimed that the management failed to release the maternity leave benefits entitled to qualified female employees under the CBA to four female employees,” Gonzalo added.
The CBA entitles availing female employees of sixty (60) days leave with full pay including monthly allowances such as rice, grocery, and laundry allowance on top of the benefits provided by the SSS.

Another issue addressed by the union is the additional workload given to Meter readers without receiving additional compensation.

After several conciliation-mediation conferences, parties have reached an agreement to settle the preventive mediation case.

“The management gave its assurance to the union of processing the additional maternity leave benefits of the four female employees,” Gonzalo said.

“They also agreed to provide meter readers an additional P75 per day meal allowances to meter readers and performance based incentive at the end of the year,” he added.

Biliran Electric Cooperative, Inc. (BILECO) is a non-stock, non-profit electric cooperative registered with the National Electrification Administration and the sole electric distributor in the province of Biliran covering 117 barangays within the seven (7) municipalities. Its office is located at 2nd floor, BPI Building, J. Romualdez cor. M.H del Pilar Sts., Tacloban City.

BILECO Employees Union-ALU-TUCP is the recognized sole and exclusive bargaining unit of the rank and file employees of BILECO.It has a total of 53 members represented by Jesus A. Masibag, Union President.

END/ Jennifer C. Liem edited by Gillian Pearl L. Guerrero