CLARK FREEPORT—Demoralization and anger run high among Clark Development Corp. employees. (CDC) for an alleged pay cut and an unbalanced pay scale.
CDC workers specifically cited the implementation of the Compensation and Job Classification System (CPCS) which they said discriminated against the rank and file, especially those with nearly 30 years of service with the company.
In protest of the CPCS Implementation Authority (ATI) issued by the Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GCG) Governance Commission to the CDC on June 22, 2022, members of the Association of Affected CDC Employees (ACCES) donned black clothes and marched around CDC headquarters in their free time to demonstrate their opposition to the imposition of the new pay scale.
According to the CPCS chart issued to the CDC, only 35 senior executives — from managers to the president — saw their salaries increase, while more than 635 rank-and-file workers saw their earnings decline, the workers said in a statement. .
Among the allowances, benefits and incentives to be cut are health coverage, pension scheme, cost of living allowance (COLA), housing, utilities and transport allowances, meritorious service award (MSP) based on the length of service and the pension package or severance pay also based on seniority.
These benefits have been granted on the basis of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) since the union was founded in 1997. CDC union members have said that the suspension of their benefits will be a severe blow to their families, given the inflation of wages. commodities and petroleum. rising prices in the country.
The plight of workers has been further compounded by the CDC’s impending shift from Social Security System (SSS) insurance coverage to Government Services Insurance System (GSIS). The future membership will be supposed to take effect on July 1, 2022, as imposed during a “dialogue” led by the management. On the other hand, employees who choose to activate their membership retroactively will be required to pay back dues to GSIS covering their years of CDC service.
In a letter dated June 20, 2022 to CDC President and CEO Brig. General Manuel Gaerlan, the union, said the migration to GSIS is “a direct violation of their existing collective bargaining agreement”, which “amounts to an unfair labor practice. Our ABC not only participates in the nature of a contract between us, but of the very law that binds us. Any opinion to the contrary will not matter. More importantly, our right to the CBA is protected by the Labor Code and guaranteed by our Constitution. It is what binds us and NOT anyone’s opinion,” ACCES said in its letter.
Union members have called on Gaerlan and the CDC Board to exhaust all efforts to appeal, postpone and stop the implementation of CPCS, as this will significantly affect the financial situation of the CDC workforce. , especially rank and file employees. Members also urged the CDC chair to impose a status quo on the current compensation and benefits system, including the move to GSIS which requires higher bonuses and results in lower take home pay.
ACCES President Edsel Manalili expressed hope for a peaceful and fair resolution of the ongoing issues saying, “ACCES is the bridge between employees and management. Let’s cross that bridge together for the sake of CDC employees who are about to serve 30 years with the company. But if you build a wall, we will tear it down.
