Dole Philippines drops labor union allied with KMU

KORONADAL — The militant labor union that in the last decade represented the workers at fruit giant Dole Philippines, Inc. (Dolefil) was overwhelmingly beaten in the company’s union certification election, an official from the regional Department of Labor and Employment office announced yesterday.

Jimmy Marquez, technical services and support division chief of the regional Labor office who was designated election officer for the certification election at Dolefil last Tuesday, said the Labor Employees Association of Dolefil-Polomolok Hourlies (Lead-Polomolok Hourlies) won by a landslide over the Asosasyon sa mga Mamumuo sa Dolefil alang sa Kalingkawasan ug Demokrasya sa Nasud (Amado Kadena).

Amado Kadena is affiliated with the National Federation of Labor Unions and Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), while Lead-Polomolok Hourlies has been widely perceived as a “pro-management” workers’ group.

The winning group will be the workers’ bargaining agent with the Dolefil management in the negotiations for the five-year collective bargaining agreement that expired last Feb. 10.

Mr. Marquez said the results of the election were known at around 9 p.m. Tuesday, with Lead-Polomolok Hourlies getting 2,814 votes against Amado Kadena’s 922. Voters’ turnout was pegged at 96.4%, with 3,736 actual voters from a total of 3,876.

One hundred fourteen votes were still being validated on Tuesday but this would not significantly change the result.

“Compared with the previous union certification elections, Monday’s poll exercise was very peaceful and orderly due to the social partnership accord the parties signed [last month],” Mr. Marquez said.

Last Jan. 31, the two labor unions, the Dolefil management and other institutional stakeholders forged an “industrial peace accord” in line with the certification election. The agreement signed was titled “Social Partnership Accord on the Conduct and Related Activities Before, During and After the Certification Election at Dole Philippines, Inc., Cannery Site, Polomolok, South Cotabato.”

Lawyer Rene Ruel B. Almero, Dolefil legal department manager, had given an assurance that the company would take no part in the certification election pursuant to the Labor Code.

“[Dolefil] fully supports the certification election as a democratic process which will allow the workers freedom to choose which union will be their next bargaining agent,” he said earlier.

But during the election’s closing conference, Mary Ann S. Lagare-Academia, lawyer of Amado Kadena, protested the outcome on grounds of vote-buying, harassment, campaigning during election day, black propaganda against Amado Kadena, and the installation of closed-circuit television cameras in and out the polling center, records showed.

Citing the law, Mr. Marquez said the complainant would be given five days to formally file a protest before the regional mediation officer of the regional Labor department office. The mediator will formally declare the winner because of the protest manifested by one of the parties, he added. — Romer S. Sarmiento, Businessworld