BY ADRIAN P. NEMES III
“We demand for our immediate reinstatement”
The call came from the members of the Bacolod City Water District Employee’s Union-National Federation of Labor Union yesterday claiming that, the longer they are denied of their rights for reinstatement, the more this comes to the expense of the consumers of the firm.
In a press conference at the Negros Press Club yesterday, the former employees of BACIWA called the attention of the members of the firm’s board of directors to take responsibility for the consequence of their previous “self-serving exploits”.
They stressed that it is about time that the members of the BACIWA board be held accountable for the damages that they have caused them for their termination, the water district, and the people of Bacolod City.
On top of that, they added, they are seeking the interventions of the local officials of the city especially Mayor Evelio Leonardia on the matter of their re-instatement and other issues surrounding the water firm as these involve the welfare of the Bacolodnons.
Earlier, Regional director Nelson Sarmiento of CSC Western Visayas ordered the reinstatement of 50 BACIWA employees who were terminated from their service over alleged redundancy of job.
Sarmiento said there is no strong indication that the reorganization in Baciwa, following its partnership with PrimeWater, resulted in the redundancy of the positions of the terminated employees.
He said the evidence of redundancy is that the existing manpower exceeds more than what is necessary in the operation of a certain agency, which means that an employee’s position may only be declared redundant if his or her services are already in excess of what is demanded by the actual requirement of the agency.
The official added that Baciwa failed to show adequate and convincing proof that the reduction of their workforce and the termination of the employees are necessary and that it is not enough for them to merely declare their positions redundant.
But BACIWA said they will either file a Motion for Reconsideration or a Petition for Review with the CSC main office in Manila or will seek advice from the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, regarding the matter.
While they are seeking legal remedies, the management of the firm stood by their decision to hold in abeyance the order of the CSC re-instating the dismissed employees.*
