Port scenario unfolding

By the time you read this, a situation may already be brewing at the  Dumaguete port. A new arrastre company, Prudential Arrastre and Stevedoring Services,  is scheduled to take over on Wednesday, March 12, starting at  midnight.  It will replace the arrastre services of the Philippine  Ports Authority, which took over from the defunct Cipres Stevedoring  and Arrastre Incorporated.

But it's not going to be that easy.

Of the 210 workers under the PPA, only 180 of them will be hired by 

the new agency. There are 30 who will not be hired and these are  mostly the leaders of the workers.

There is some restiveness at the pier area because the people who  will be replaced are threatening to block access to the port unless  the new company hires them as well. They will go on strike, they said.

The problem is, they will have no legal personality to do so as they  are not employees of the new arrastre company and their employment  status with the PPA stopped at 12 midnight last night.

What to do? This has the business sector worried. If the former  workers make good their threat to stage a blockade at the pier area,  this will mean that they will again be unable to unload their cargoes  at the Dumaguete port. That would mean that the shipping cost of the  products they buy from Manila will increase because they will have to  pass through other ports and truck them over to Dumaguete.

Naturally, the ordinary Dumagueteño will be affected as all prices of 

goods will go up.

Last Monday, the Mayor, Governor, business leaders and the leaders of  both arrastre firms, met to find a solution to this likely impasse  but nothing came out of it.

Business leaders from the Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and  Industry (NOCCI) met yesterday noon  and everyone was anxious over 

the possible scenario that threatened to unfold today. After all,  they know the feeling of being hostaged by stevedores, following the  experience they had last year when the same group of people resisted  attempts of the new stevedoring company to take over the business. 

Port operations ground to a halt for over one month. Prices escalated.

In the event that a blockade would happen at the pier today, the  businessmen want the police to ensure the free flow of cargoes in and  out of the pier. The new police chief, Supt. Paul Cabanag, who took  over as the new OIC of the police department of Dumaguete only  yesterday, said he will await the decision of the mayor. "That's his  call," Cabanag told businessmen.

Mayor Agustin Perdices, however, as of this writing,  is unlikely  going to issue such a call to use muscle in this situation. He is  trying to work out a compromise between the workers and the new  company. He wants the new company to hire all the 210 workers so  there will be no more problems.

Of course, for the new company, that IS a problem. For one, it would 

mean that you not only inherit all the workers, including the  problematic ones. And you also inherit their union!

The mayor sees himself as a mediator in this case. In our interview  with him yesterday at the police station, Perdices said he cannot  break up a strike, if the workers go on strike, because that is legal.

Now you know why Dumaguete is the City of Gentle People.

So in the meantime, we will wait and see but we continue to hope for  the best in this ongoing drama.*

back to top