The Coca-Cola FEMSA - Calasiao Plant and the Calasiao Workers Union ceased to be on deadlock after going through marathon conciliation conducted at National Conciliation and Mediation Board Regional Branch No. 1 on September 23, 2014.

 

The company was going through CBA negotiations for the term 2014 – 2017 when finally hitting a dead end prompting the union to file a preventive mediation case on September 4, 2014. Parties validated more than a handful of unresolved issues with Director Odsey on September 9, 2014.

 

“The parties were willing to resolve the deadlock and we have to take advantage of that,” NCMB RB1 Director Brenda Rose C. Odsey said, who went to see through the end of the negotiations.

 

The appropriate bargaining unit was the foremost issue resolved and clearly defined being Article II, Section 1 of their CBA.

 

Other issues involved, which were all retained in the end, include union security, work week, definition of terms, sixth-day work/scheduled rest day, printing of health and welfare program, mid-year gratuity, re-employment priority and health and welfare. Other union proposals on Christmas Bonus were agreed upon to be dropped.

 

The agreement forged included a P50.00 basic pay increase retroactive to March 1, 2014. A year thereafter will see a P35.00 peso wage increment until the end of the CBA. A P5.00 Operational Performance Increase (OPI) will also take effect together with the first increase.

 

It is also worthy to note that parties agreed for what they would call Industrial Peace Incentive fund. Through this agreement, the Union will be provided P50,000 upon the ratification of their MOA for Training Purposes.

 

Improvements in the benefits include a 100% increase in the maximum benefit limit for hospitalization of dependents which has become P100,000 per illness per year.

 

Maternity benefit for female associates and maternity benefit for male associate’s wife were both retained but with newly agreed amounts. The former provides P10,000 for caesarian section and P5,000 for normal delivery while the latter providesP5,000 and P2,000 respectively.

 

The union’s flexi-loan benefit was also increase to P20,000 from P18,000 payable in 12 months with 0% interest.

 

The entire bargaining unit covered will be recipient of a lump sum benefit of P6M and a signing bonus worth P1.5M.

 

“Conciliation proves its worth time and time again,” Odsey noted.