BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The workers’ union of Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) voted to go on strike over the weekend.
CENECO Union of Rational Employees (CURE) held a referendum among members on Saturday, Jan. 29, and 291 voted yes for the strike. Only 10 voted against it.
CURE president Steffanie Montenar said they will submit the result of their referendum to the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Once the NCMB had replied, a seven-day “cooling off period” will be observed.
The strike could cripple CENECO’s services as among those joining are the cooperative’s essential work force such as linemen, collectors, meter readers, and tellers.
The strike stemmed from CENECO’s alleged failure to implement the Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA) approved in September 2021.
CENECO officer-in-charge General Manager Jose Tañongon explained that among the reasons the cooperative was unable to give the employees’ benefits under the CNA was a condition set by the National Electrification Administration (NEA) – CENECO’s collection efficiency should be 95 percent.
CENECO had only hit 92 percent collection efficiency in December of last year, although Tañongon expressed confidence that they would be able to hit the required 95 percent this month.
Tañongon also appealed for cooperation among CENECO employees.
He was joined by a local consumers group calling on CURE to postpone their strike because this could have adverse impacts on the city and surrounding areas./PN
