Dismissed Ceres workers slam illegal retrenchment
Credit to Author: EUGENE Y. ADIONG| Date: Tue, 01 Oct 2019 16:38:26 +0000
BACOLOD CITY: Some 30 employees of Ceres-Vallacar Transit Inc (VTI) on Tuesday slammed their illegal termination from work.
In a press conference at the Negros Press Club, the terminated workers said they “decided to come out into the open so the public will know what kind of union they have.”
In a statement, the employees claimed “they were illegally terminated after the return of Leo Roy Yanson (LRY) as company president.”
“We strongly condemned our dismissal from work without justifiable reason and process. We were forced to sign blank documents, which we consider as an oppressive move against us the employees. It is also a maltreatment to us as individuals that has rights that the government and the law protects,” they said.
They also said they knew the termination was under the management of Leo Roy “but it would not have been possible if not for the connivance of Paciwu-Ceres, our union, who remained blind to the situation of the employees.”
“We also strongly condemn the silence of our union and its pro-management stance. This is an act of treachery on the part of the union led by Franny Santarin and Hernani Braza,” the employees said.
The union did not take care of us, their member-employees, the disgruntled employees said.
They added, they”were forced to resign and were not allowed to return back to work.”
Richie Rimada, a bus conductor for five years, said “the union should have been taken a neutral stand but they were the first to shout ‘We love OVY (Olivia Yanson). We love LRY.’”
Maritess Baylosis, a cashier for 22 years, in an emotional appeal to Olivia, the family matriarch, “to help us by returning us to work. We did not do anything wrong against the company.”
“Our family is getting hungry already. We cannot send our children to school anymore. We are loyal to the company. We are not taking sides in the family feud. We only want to work and provide for our families needs,” the employees said.
They said more than 200 employees nationwide of the country’s largest bus company were terminated “without just cause.”