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National Conciliation and Mediation Board
08 August 2018

RCBC SAVINGS BANK PUTS PREMIUM ON WORKPLACE RELATIONS ENHANCEMENT

Intramuros, Manila—Regional Conciliation and Mediation Branch-NCR Director
Feliciano R. Orihuela, Jr. reported today the settlement of Notice of Strike case
between RCBC Savings Bank and RCBC Savings Bank Employees Union.
In his report to Executive Director Shirley M. Pascual, Director Orihuela said that, on
11 July 2018, after three months of company level negotiation, the 650-strong RCBC
union declared bargaining deadlock and filed a Notice of Strike.

However, series of conciliation-mediation conferences, facilitated by Con-Med
Yolanda Miñoria, resulted to the successful resolution of their issues and demands.
Both negotiation panels exerted their best effort to break the impasse and to veer
away from the natural tendency of negotiating parties in this type of business, which
is to rely on third party decision, usually the Office of the Secretary or the Labor
Arbiter, Director Orihuela added.

Citing a report from Con-Med Miñoria, he stated that the union officers even
mentioned that sometime in 2009, when a decision by then Secretary Baldoz was
ordered, the parties had no choice but to comply.
But this time, both parties crafted a settlement where the majority of the union
manifested support and promised not to jeopardize the Bank’s financial situation,
amidst the financial impact feared by the management in the advent of the TRAIN
Law.

During the initial conference, Con-Med Miñoria mentioned that their negotiation is a
workplace relations enhancement exercise. “This is our WRED room, WRE means
Workplace Relations Enhancement, and that is what we are practicing now”.
Upon the conclusion of the conciliation, she again reminded the parties that they
both gained from the said negotiations. The trust built during the process will be
enhanced further with the parties’ vow to keep communications transparent.

RCBC Savings Bank is a member of the Yuchengco Group of Companies with 154
branches all over Philippines, and has a total of 1,309 employees.
Meanwhile, the RCBC Savings bank Employees Union, is an independent union with

a total of 657 members.// Joan Esther O. Mabilangan