Labor row settled

A LABOR row at Bluestar Marketing and Manufacturing Corp., maker of the Advan brand of casual shoes, has been resolved, with the workers’ union securing a collective bargaining deal. Undersecretary for Labor Relations Hans Leo G. Dacdac said in a report to Labor Secretary Rosalinda D. Baldoz the National Conciliation and Mediation Board headed by Executive Director Reynaldo R. Ubaldo had settled the dispute, with the parties involved signing a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) covering the period July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2015. Bluestar Workers Labor Union agreed to stop protests in exchange for P6.9 million worth of benefits. The union filed a notice of strike on Sept. 4, 2009, claiming unfair labor practices such as management’s refusal to negotiate a CBA, delays in salary payments, illegal suspension of union leaders, and forced leave of absences, among others. The CBA is the first for the union which registered on Oct. 2, 2007. Bluestar Marketing and Manufacturing employs around 300 workers at its manufacturing facility in Tunasan, Muntinlupa. It produces 5,400 shoes and 2,700 boots every day. –Businessworld