CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Pampanga Gov. Eddie Panlilio on Monday terminated the services of 40 employees assigned to the provincial government’s quarry special committee as they resumed their picket at the capitol grounds here over unfulfilled agreements reached in July.
Eduardo Gonzales, the leader of the protesting workers, said they have been informed of Panlilio’s pronouncement but have yet to receive a notice of termination.
Gonzales said the protest would continue and they would demand for the resignation of provincial administrator Vivian Dabu, whom they believed to have prepared a July 18 letter that terminated the services of 71 employees who joined the first picket on July 10 to 13.
This, he said, violated their agreement during the July 14 negotiation brokered by civil society groups that the protesting workers would be reinstated.
The first protest opposed the reorganization of the committee following reports of incidents of illegal quarry operations that the supervisors allegedly failed to stop.
The other reason for the protest, they said, was the rude manner by which Dabu dealt with them.
Panlilio said he had cancelled the July 18 termination order to comply with the agreement and subsequently reinstated all of them even as they were casual employees.
The contract, however, would last until Aug. 31 and would be renewable monthly because of budgetary constraints.
The provincial board has yet to approve a supplemental budget for their additional compensation and the committee’s operations, Panlilio said.
He said he has been using the budget of the governor’s office since January to support the committee’s operations, which the provincial board did not fund.
Gonzales said the monthly contract does not ensure that they would get their Christmas bonus.
Panlilio said civil service rules entitle casual employees to four months of continuous service to get a Christmas bonus.
Panlilio said: “In resuming the picket, they broke our agreement that we would hold a series of negotiations until we resolve our issues.”
