This case has been cited 2 times or more.
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2007-10-19 |
VELASCO, JR., J. |
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| A painstaking review of case law renders obtuse the Union's claim for separation pay. In a slew of cases, this Court refrained from awarding separation pay or financial assistance to union officers and members who were separated from service due to their participation in or commission of illegal acts during strikes. In the recent case of Pilipino Telephone Corporation v. Pilipino Telephone Employees Association (PILTEA),[74] this Court upheld the dismissal of union officers who participated and openly defied the return-to-work order issued by the DOLE Secretary. No separation pay or financial assistance was granted. In Sukhothai Cuisine and Restaurant v. Court of Appeals,[75] this Court declared that the union officers who participated in and the union members who committed illegal acts during the illegal strike have lost their employment status. In this case, the strike was held illegal because it violated agreements providing for arbitration. Again, there was no award of separation pay nor financial assistance. In Philippine Diamond Hotel and Resort, Inc. v. Manila Diamond Hotel Employees Union,[76] the strike was declared illegal because the means employed was illegal. We upheld the validity of dismissing union members who committed illegal acts during the strike, but again, without awarding separation pay or financial assistance to the erring employees. In Samahang Manggagawa sa Sulpicio Lines, Inc. v. Sulpicio Lines,[77] this Court upheld the dismissal of union officers who participated in an illegal strike sans any award of separation pay. Earlier, in Grand Boulevard Hotel v. Genuine Labor Organization of Workers in Hotel, Restaurant and Allied Industries,[78] we affirmed the dismissal of the Union's officers who participated in an illegal strike without awarding separation pay, despite the NLRC's declaration urging the company to give financial assistance to the dismissed employees.[79] In Interphil Laboratories Union-FFW, et al. v. Interphil Laboratories, Inc.,[80] this Court affirmed the dismissal of the union officers who led the concerted action in refusing to render overtime work and causing "work slowdowns." However, no separation pay or financial assistance was allowed. In CCBPI Postmix Workers Union v. NLRC,[81] this Court affirmed the dismissal of union officers who participated in the strike and the union members who committed illegal acts while on strike, without awarding them separation pay or financial assistance. In 1996, in Allied Banking Corporation v. NLRC,[82] this Court affirmed the dismissal of Union officers and members, who staged a strike despite the DOLE Secretary's issuance of a return to work order but did not award separation pay. In the earlier but more relevant case of Chua v. NLRC,[83] this Court deleted the NLRC's award of separation benefits to an employee who participated in an unlawful and violent strike, which strike resulted in multiple deaths and extensive property damage. In Chua, we viewed the infractions committed by the union officers and members as a serious misconduct which resulted in the deletion of the award of separation pay in conformance to the ruling in PLDT. Based on existing jurisprudence, the award of separation pay to the Union officials and members in the instant petitions cannot be sustained. | |||||
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2006-10-16 |
CHICO-NAZARIO, J. |
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| For a strike to be valid, the following requisites must concur: (1) the thirty-day notice or the fifteen-day notice, in case of unfair labor practices; (2) the two-thirds (2/3) required vote to strike done by secret ballot; and (3) the submission of the strike vote to the Department of Labor and Employment at least seven days prior to the strike.[28] In addition, in case of strikes in hospitals, clinics and medical institutions, it shall be the duty of the striking employees to provide and maintain an effective and skeletal workforce of medical and other health personnel in order to insure the proper and adequate protection of the life and health of its patients.[29] These procedural requirements, along with the mandatory cooling off and strike ban periods had been fully observed by the respondent union. | |||||