CIP YARD. A gantry is shown operating at the Cebu International Port (CIP) yard in Cebu City in this file photo. The Oriental Port and Allied Services Corp. (OPASCOR), the private cargo-handling firm operating at the CIP yard, on Friday (Sept. 27, 2024) assured stakeholders of unhampered services as they addressed disputes with the workers. (PNA file photo by John Rey Saavedra)
CEBU CITY – The private cargo handling firm operating at the Cebu International Port (CIP) here pledged to provide unhampered services at the port yard as they engaged workers in settling an ongoing dispute.
"We are fully engaged in addressing the recent Notice of Strike through the appropriate channels and processes,” the Oriental Port and Allied Services Corp. (OPASCOR) said in a statement Friday.
It also expressed commitment to resolving the issue as it pursues a balance in its employees' well-being while securing the company's long-term stability.
“The company’s focus now remains clear and steadfast: securing the company's future while protecting the people who sustain it,” OPASCOR director Ann Page said.
The statement came after workers accused the cargo-handling company of mismanagement and not holding board elections.
However, lawyer Tomas Riveral, chair of the company's board of directors, denied the workers' accusations, saying that elections are held regularly every year.
"It's not true that we don't have an election. We have an election though 'viva voce' (election through voicing out of one's vote)," Riveral said in an interview.
The practice of viva voce voting began in 1990 when then OPASCOR chair, lawyer Democrito Mendoza Sr., said secret balloting was divisive, considering that workers are also stakeholders.
"We are fully dedicated to maintaining the reliable service you have come to expect from us, while ensuring that we all move forward with strength and purpose," the statement added. (PNA)
