The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has assumed jurisdiction over the dockworkers’ strike at Port of General Santos, effectively ordering strikers to return to work.
In an order dated May 22 issued by acting Labor Secretary Renato L. Ebarle, DOLE enjoined any party from a strike or lockout and from “committing any act that may further exacerbate the situation.” It noted any stoppage in operations at the Mindanao gateway would adversely affect all parties and commerce in the region.
A representative of International Container Terminal Services, Inc., which partly owns private cargo-handling operator South Cotabato Integrated Ports Services, Inc. (SCIPSI), told PortCalls the strike, which began on May 19, ended the same day the DOLE order was issued, with no work backlog as SCIPSI took in temporary workers during the work stoppage.
A hearing on May 31 has been set to resolve the labor dispute.
The strike stemmed from a negotiation deadlock on wage increases between SCIPSI and Pro Labor Champ Movement-Makar-Sentro ng Mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa/Makar Wharf GSC. The striking group counts 270 union members.
In its order, DOLE noted that while a strike is guaranteed by law, it is subject to regulations provided under the law. The order referred to Article 278 (g) of the Labor Code of the Philippines, as amended, which allows the Secretary of Labor to assume jurisdiction over a dispute involving an industry indispensable to the national interest and certify the same to the National Labor Relations Commission for compulsory arbitration.
Stoppage in SCIPSI operations “will adversely affect public goods and public interest”, DOLE said. “There is no denying that the disruption of the operations of the Company has far-reaching adverse impact on national interest.”
The order noted SCIPSI handles arrastre operations at the port, also known as Makar Wharf, which in 2018 recorded a container throughput of 228,000 twenty-equivalent units.
“A work stoppage in the Company will affect the Wharf as well as the cargoes going into and out of Mindanao which negative effect would in turn affect investors, business, and shipping industry. Also, its clients are import and export-oriented companies which will be prejudiced in the event of work stoppage. Evidently, any strike at the company will certainly affect trade and commerce in Mindanao,” DOLE said.
Further, the order noted that the strike will result in loss of income for the company’s employees, affecting their dependents, and lead to loss of government revenue that comes from the taxes paid by SCIPSI.
The Port of General Santos handles about 96% of domestic and international general and containerized cargo in the SOCCSKSARGEN (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos) area.
It is situated at the head of the Saranggani Bay in the southern coast of Mindanao on the mainstream of international shipping routes. The port serves as a gateway for agricultural and marine products of SOCCSKSARGEN and the neighboring provinces of Davao del Sur and North Cotabato.
SCIPSI supports the major canning and other manufacturing industries in the Mindanao peninsula.
The Philippine Ports Authority in an earlier statement said the port is undergoing a major facelift to accommodate containerized cargo outside of the traditional self-sustaining cargo vessels. – Roumina Pablo
