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OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF SAN AGUSTIN ON THE MAY 30, 2005 MEETING
WITH DISMISSED UNION OFFICERS INITIATED BY THE HONORABLE
MAYOR JERRY P. TREÑAS On May 30, 2005, the administrators of the
University of San Agustin headed by its President Rev. Fr. Manuel M. Vergara, OSA met with the dismissed Union
officers headed by Mr. Theodore Neil Lasola.
The meeting was made possible through the efforts of the Honorable
Jerry P. Treñas, Mayor of Iloilo
City. In
brokering the meeting, the Honorable Mayor was hoping to put an end to the
current strike being staged by the dismissed Union officers. Lately, the Union officers have been joined
by “farmers” who have pathetically done the “moving” picket for these dismissed
officers. This “moving” picket has
become a source of irritation to students who simply want to enroll for the
coming schoolyear as well as to employees who simply want to work. It has also been the main cause of traffic
along General Luna as cars wanting to enter the campus are deliberately delayed
and/or halted by said “moving” picket. Coming
into the meeting, the administrators of the University of San Agustin were
simply guided by the Decision dated March 5, 2005 of the Court of Appeals which
declared the Union strike of September 19, 2003 illegal and the Union officers
deemed to have lost their employment status and which gave the University of
San Agustin the option to serve notices of termination from employment to said
Union officers. At
the meeting, the dismissed Union officers adamantly demanded for their
reinstatement. The University
administrators informed them that they cannot agree to their demand as this
meant totally disregarding the decision of the Court of Appeals. On the other hand, no employer in its right
mind, unless compelled by a court order, would
reinstate legally terminated Union officers who have been exposed to
have knowingly and deliberately resorted to illegal acts in staging a strike in
connivance with labor officials. In any
case, the University of San Agustin has always maintained that should the
appellate court’s declaration of the illegality of the Union strike of
September 19, 2003 be reversed, then it shall reinstate these dismissed Union
officers. A
newspaper reports Mr. Lasola charging that the priests’ statements during the
meeting were “dictated by their lawyer.”
The stand of the administrators anent the issue of reinstatement is
simple. It is not negotiable. It is only for the courts to decide. In view of the clear, detailed and learned
explanation of the Court of Appeals why it declared illegal the Union strike of
September 19, 2003, the administrators of the University of San Agustin do not
need a lawyer to remind them that reinstatement is or should be a
non-negotiable issue. For
the record, the University legal counsel was asked to come to Iloilo on May 30,
2005. His presence however was to guide
the University of San Agustin faced with
“feelers” for financial assistance; the quid pro quo being the
end to the strike of the dismissed Union officers attended only by themselves
and the “farmers.” The University also
sought guidance on how to address and act on the individual resignations of
Union members. The University legal counsel was not at all present and did not
attend the meeting of May 30, 2005. In
closing, the University of San Agustin would want to express its sincere
gratitude to the Honorable Mayor for his time and effort in trying to resolve
the current labor dispute between the University and the dismissed Union
officers. The University of San Agustin
also takes this opportunity to advise students who want to enroll as well as
the general public who want to enter the University campus, in order to avoid
the inconvenience brought by the “moving” picket staged by warm bodies other
than the dismissed Union officers themselves, to merely enter the campus by
foot. The University of San Agustin apologizes for all the inconvenience caused
by these irresponsible Union officers and their “farmers.” THE
ADMINISTRATORS UNIVERSITY OF SAN AGUSTIN Iloilo
City, 1 June 2005 |
