The Philippine government Labor department has referred the dispute between workers and management at Asahi Glass Philippines to the National Labor Relations Commission for voluntary arbitration.
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The Philippine government Labor department has referred the dispute between workers and management at Asahi Glass Philippines to the National Labor Relations Commission for voluntary arbitration. Leonida V. Romulo of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) said Labor Secretary Patricia A. Sto. Tomas had decided to send the case to the quasi-judicial court for arbitration after the failure of conciliation efforts at the NCMB level. NCMB records show rank-and-file Asahi Glass employees under the Republic-Asahi Glass Corp. Labor Union filed a notice of strike on 17 September 2004. The workers accused the company of “alleged acts of unfair labor practice, such as union busting, illegal mass dismissal and illegal transfer of officers.” The dispute was caused by the company“s decision to dismiss about 135 workers including three supervisors. The management argued that the company“s losses since 1998 already amount to about PHP 2 billion. The job cuts are one of the measures being implemented by the company in order to survive. The union demanded the reinstatement of the 135 workers. Asahi Glass Philippines is majority-owned by Japanese firm Asahi Glass Co. Ltd. It makes automotive and float glass and has a total work force of around 500. The glass company announced recently that it will upgrade its float glass production. The company is also looking to build a plant at the Subic Bay Freeport.