Industrial peace and better production have been assured within Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company, one of the oldest mining firms in the country based in Mankayan, Benguet, following the signing on Oct. 26 of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with two labor unions.
LCMCo President and Chief Operations Officer Bryan U. Yap announced that the company’s negotiations with officers of the Lepanto Local Employees Union and Lepanto Local Staff Union were concluded after four meetings.
Yap explained negotiations were concluded in a short period of time because all parties involved started the negotiation right and talks were based on realistic figures.
The company had a previous record of negotiating with a labor union that took two years to be concluded.
The CBA with LLEU led by its president Warden Lapaddic and assisted by lead counsel Mauricio Domogan is retroactive to Nov. 21, 2021 and expires on Nov. 16, 2023 while the CBA with LLSU led by president Ariel Candelario and assisted by lead counsel Reenan Orate is retroactive to July 1, 2021 and ends on June 30, 2023.
With industrial peace, Yap expressed confidence the company that employs more than a thousand workers will focus in increasing its production and attain profitability that will benefit the company and its dependents.
Yap also commended LCMCo Vice President for Corporate Human Resource and Administration Knestor Godino for his role in the forging of the CBAs, which are proof of mutual trust enjoyed by parties.
He also assured the company has every intention of doing its part to continue to enjoy the trust of the employees, “who are our company’s backbone.”
Lapaddic and Candelario have renewed the union’s commitment to support the company in its bid to improve productivity, as they also vowed to abide by the provisions of the CBAs.
The regional offices of the Department of Labor and Employment and National Conciliation and Mediation Board commended the parties as both offices did not need to intervene in the meetings.
Also in attendance to sign the CBAs were LCMCo Resident Manager Magellan Bagayao, other officers of the LLEU and LLSU, and their legal counsels.
Domogan, who is one of the pioneer members of the union when he was a middle force worker in Lepanto, has challenged all parties to strictly implement and abide by the provisions of the agreements. – Harley F. Palangchao
