All’s well that ends well between major provincial bus company Del Monte Land Transport Bus Co. Inc. and its striking workers.
Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III yesterday announced that the contending parties have agreed to start settling their differences which would now lead to the lifting of the strike effective immediately.
“In the interest of industrial peace and in order not to further jeopardize the commuting public, the DLTB management and its union reached an agreement for the resumption of normal operations of the bus company,” said Bello.
The DLTB management has agreed to accept all striking employees, except those terminated prior to the strike, under the same terms and conditions that existed before the strike.
“We would like to thank Secretary Bello for his swift and decisive action,” said lawyer Narciso Morales, DLTB president.
The strike, staged by the DLTB Labor Union affiliated with the Association of Genuine Labor Organization, paralyzed about 90 percent of the company’s bus operations in Bicol and Southern Tagalog provinces during the Christmas holidays.
Six bus drivers were arrested in Batangas for allegedly taking part in burning down five bus units as the union, made up of drivers, conductors, mechanics, and staff, protested the supposed low salaries and non-granting of benefits.
Bello assumed jurisdiction of the labor dispute on December 28 in a bid to avert disruption of public transport during the holidays as the bus company has about 700 buses plying the Southern Luzon route.
The bus company operates as far as La Union, Benguet, and Isabela in the north and Bicol, Leyte, and Albay in the south.
The agreement was signed by Ronald Austria, president; Frankie Fernandez, vice president, and board chairman Carlito Abergos while the management was represented by Morales.
They were assisted by lawyer Jaime Miralles for AGLO and Valentino Dionela and Joselyn Bonnie Valeros for DLTB Bus Co.
The agreement was attested by Bello and Labor Undersecretaries Dominador R. Say and Bernard P. Olalia.
(Dennis Principe)