Friday, January 20, 2012
TWO former employees of Camp John Hay Development Corporation (CJHDevCo) recently slapped the firm with a labor case before the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC)-Cordillera.
Remigio Vicente and Baldo Garry Bacbac, former sewage treatment plant operators of CJHDevCo, accused the firm of illegal dismissal and underpayment of separation pay after being dismissed for unknown reasons last December 2, 2011.
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The two employees also included CJHDevCo president Robert Sobrepeña as a respondent in the case.
In an interview with the former employees after the preliminary mediation last January 11, both claimed their families went hungry during the holidays after being dismissed for still unknown reasons.
The former employees also sought a still undisclosed sum for moral and exemplary damages they suffered after they were not allegedly paid their full separation pay while working for the firm. Both also requested for reasonable payment of their attorney’s fees.
Both workers, in documents filed before NLRC-Cordillera, earned P7,826 monthly from the John Hay firm.
Both were dismissed from their jobs on the same day but Vicente claimed they were never aware of any grave offenses they committed while working with CJHDevCo.
The lawyer of the two former workers, Milton Balagtey, claimed they have sought a reset of the preliminary arbitration which both parties heeded for more evidence and information gathering.
Lawyer of CJHDevCO Dennis Ruiz also agreed for the rescheduling of mediation to January 16, Labor Arbiter Monroe Tabingan said.
Initially, both complainants filed a similar case against CJHDevCo at the Department of Labor and Employment regional office but they were referred by the agency to NLRC-Cordillera.
The complainants also said they never heard of a workers union in CJHDevCo with around 300 workers nor a collective bargaining agreement existed between workers and the firm.
Sun.Star Baguio tried to reach CJHDevCo lawyer Ruiz but failed to get an answer.
The firm has also recently been embroiled in a P3-billion non-payment of lease rentals to the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.
Published in the Sun.Star Baguio newspaper on January 20, 2012.
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