האגודה הישראלית לחקר יחסי עבודה

Around 80 to 90 percent of the DLTB Bus Co.’s operations have returned to normal, according to lawyer Narciso O. Morales, chairman of the board and president of Del Monte Motorworks Inc., operator of the DLTB.

“We are back to normal operations nationwide after exerting our rights; there is no real strike other than that of the group of AGLO (Association of Genuine Labor Organization),” Morales said in broken English. “We are able to service the riding public in Bicol, Visayas, other parts of Luzon.”

Last Friday afternoon, the DLTB management towed five buses which were taken over by striking ALGO members to disrupt the bus firm’s operations.

Morales maintained that AGLO members are “not part” of DLTB since the legitimate labor union of drivers and conductors working with them is the Philippine Trade and General Workers Organization (PTGWO).

The PTGWO beat the AGLO in a certification election in 2015 as witnessed and certified by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), he said.

However, Nick Elman, spokesperson of DLTB-Association of Genuine Labor Organization (AGLO), claimed that DLTB’s operation remains “far from being normal” with their drivers and conductors opting not to work.

Elman appealed to President Duterte to conduct an investigation on the management of DLTB Bus Co. even as Morales said that the real issue revolves around the collection of union dues, which the PTGWO is authorized to handle since it won the election.

UVVRP suspended

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has lifted the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or number coding scheme for provincial buses coming from Southern Luzon yesterday and today, due to a shortage in buses as a result of a labor strike hitting one bus firm.

MMDA Officer-in-Charge Tim Orbos said the agency decided to suspend UVVRP for provincial buses to accommodate the bulk of the passengers going back to Metro Manila from the provinces for the holiday break.

“This way, we can help thousands of passengers to book their trip back to Metro Manila because the earlier returning trips had all already been fully-booked,” Orbos said.

“The lack of Manila-bound provincial buses has been compounded by the ongoing labor strike by a bus company which services the southern Luzon provinces,” said Orbos, referring to DLTB. (With a report from Anna Liza Villas-Alavaren)

Tags: AGLO, DLTB, DOLE, Manila, Manila Bulletin, Manila news, News today, Provincial bus strike under control