Members of the Samahan ng Manggagawa sa Tanduay Distillers Inc. yesterday went on strike against the TDI-Bacolod Plant to protest what they call acts of union-busting and illegal termination by the management.

Leading the strike are SMTDI president Von Lachica, who was terminated last November; secretary Merman Alcachupas; and director Ruel del Rosario.

Del Rosario, who is still working at Tanduay-Bacolod Plant, told the DAILY STAR he and Alcachupas walked out during their breaktime at past 10 a.m. yesterday to join the picket line beside the Gate 1 of the plant situated in Brgy. Blumentritt , Murcia .

SMTDI had earlier said Alcachupas , Del Rosario and two other union officers were constructively dismissed when they were pulled out from the Production Department, reassigned to the General Services Department and tasked to cut cogon grass.

Teofilo Agravante, president of the Labor Union of Tanduay Employees, which sympathizes with the SMTDI, said the group of Lachica, Alcachupas and Del Rosario will continue to hold the strike until their dispute with the Tanduay management is settled.

SMTDI lawyer Rey Gorgonio had earlier said their demand was to immediately reinstate the terminated union officers and members and submit the labor dispute for voluntary arbitration.

Edmundo Carbonilla, coordinator of Ponce Engineering Services, the agency with whom TDI-Bacolod Branch has a job contracting agreement for the hiring of workers like Lachica and his group, said the operations of Tanduay Bacolod Plant has not been affected by the strike of SMTDI.

He told the DAILY STAR in a telephone interview yesterday that both Alcachupas and Del Rosario walked out to join the strike.

Carbonilla said Ponce Engineering is addressing their concerns, but he believes the agency cannot stop them from exercising their right to hold a strike.*NLG

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