HOLCIM PHILIPPINES, Inc. said the union at its Lugait plant in Misamis Oriental has called off plans to strike after allowing an arbitrator to step in to help seal a collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
The cement manufacturer said in a disclosure to the stock exchange on Tuesday that the Holcim Philippines Workers Union-Federation of Democratic Labor Organization, which has 90 members, “agreed to submit the pending CBA provisions to voluntary arbitration.”
Holcim “will continue to work with the Union to close the CBA negotiations under terms that are beneficial to both parties,” it said, without elaborating.
In a disclosure dated Dec. 10, Holcim first announced a possible strike at the plant after CBA talks were deadlocked.
The company said that it was “exerting efforts” to resolve the labor dispute in consultation with the Labor department.
Holcim said it has a plan in place to ensure sustained plant operations in the event of work disruptions, in order to keep serving clients in Northern Mindanao. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte
