PHILEX Mining Corp. workers went on strike on Sunday over a collective bargaining deadlock but the company said that operations at its Padcal mine remained unhampered.
In a disclosure Monday, the mining firm said the strike by members of the Philex National Mines and Allied Workers Union (Namawu) was “ongoing as of this writing.”
Initial reports indicated production and output on Sunday were at the usual levels without any drastic decrease, it added.
Philex said it was informed about the strike despite ongoing negotiations before the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) in the Cordillera Administrative Region.
It added that the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) had invited the company and the union to a conciliation-mediation conference in Manila, as part of efforts to reach a mutually acceptable resolution.
“The company will continue to work with the union, the NCMB, and DOLE toward this end,” it said.
The company said Namawu had voted on Sept. 30 to authorize its officers to proceed with a strike and submitted the results of the strike vote referendum to the NCMB-CAR on Oct. 1.
Philex said it was still determining the exact number of union members who joined the strike. However, it estimated that about 65 percent of rank-and-file employees and supervisors scheduled to work on Sunday reported for duty.
“Absences to the workforce yesterday were recorded at thirty-five percent, but not all absences were confirmed as strike participants,” it noted.
The company added that managers and supervisors would continue to oversee operations alongside rank-and-file employees who chose not to participate in the strike.
It further said it would continue to ensure the safe and orderly management and operation of the Padcal mine and provide further updates as appropriate.
Despite the workers’ strike, Philex shares on Monday rose P0.14, or 1.29 percent, to close at P10.98 apiece amid a 0.74-percent uptick for the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index.
