Correspondence reports:
Twists and turns in the struggle of Lepanto Mining workers

Basahin ang artikulong ito sa Pilipino

It took five months of struggle for the workers of Lepanto Consolidated Mining Corporation (LCMC) to achieve their demands against management. From November 2002 to March 2003, the workers, along with their families, communities and supporters, underwent an arduous process of forging their strength. The struggle was led by the newly elected militant union leadership that replaced the previous yellow leadership.

LCMC is the country's largest producer of gold and copper, with a 2,586-strong work force. It earns $47 million (over P2.54 billion) annually from exports and its operations are based in Mankayan, Benguet.

Foremost among the issues the workers fought against were the company's policy of contractualization and forced work during official holidays. Among other unjust policies of management, the company also obligated its workers to report to work much sooner than their regular schedule, deprived them of their Christmas bonus, refused to observe due process, arbitrarily terminated employees suspected of "high-grading¹," and violated certain provisions of their collective bargaining agreement.

The workers struck on February 1, 2003 after a series of failed negotiations with management and several weeks of gathering strength, firming up their unity and preparing for struggle through collective action.

The LCMC had the strike declared illegal through an Assumption of Jurisdiction (AJ) injunction from DOLE, and a return-to-work order was issued. Those who refused to resume working were immediately terminated. The workers did not budge, defied the DOLE order and firmly continued their strike.

Within a month of the strike, the LCMC management attempted several times to break the picket line with the use of the local police. The company also tried to bring in scabs but this was thwarted by the strikers. Many workers were injured and harassed, and several of them were likewise arrested and jailed.

Simultaneously, the management ensnared and pressured the union leadership into signing an unjust agreement where LCMC offered no concessions, save for allowing the workers to return to work and promising to discuss the workers' demands on condition that the entire union leadership be terminated. Because the union leadership was ill-prepared and the union president thought it was all right to "sacrifice" the union leadership for the workers' welfare, the president acquiesced to a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) prepared by LCMC which amounted to surrendering the strike.

But when the MOA was presented before the general assembly for ratification, the union members firmly and unanimously nullified the agreement. Instead, they further closed ranks and launched a second round of struggle. As a result, the union president found courage and humbly criticized himself, and firmly and continuously supported the solid and determined struggle of the masses of workers.

Meanwhile, support continued to pour in from communities, churches, peasant organizations, local chapters of Bayan Muna and other groups. They sent food, visited every household in the surrounding communities to explain the issues behind the struggle and gather support and participated in the workers' rallies and pickets and other actions outside the mines. Although the mayor of Mankayan serves as the LCMC's attorney and minion, the workers won greater support from the local governments in Benguet, including Mankayan's entire Association of Barangay Councils, the local governments of nearby municipalities as well as Gov. Raul Molintas.

With Governor Molintas' help, management was finally compelled to conduct the proper transactions with the workers' representatives, rescind the previous MOA and come to terms with the workers.

Victories

This was the first strike against LCMC in 55 years. The previous strike was held way back in 1949 when the workers demanded a wage increase and the recognition of their union. This was also the first time in a long while that the workers' genuine, militant and patriotic unionism prevailed. In the course of the strike, the workers and their families steeled their determination, winning the support of theirs as well as other nearby communities in the struggle against the country's biggest mining company.

After the strike, all of the terminated workers were reinstated. The workers and LCMC agreed that the company would not take any retaliatory action against the workers. In addition, the workers achieved their demand to have all casual workers regularized when their contracts end. Agreements were likewise achieved on the other issues confronting the union.

The workers realized the importance and power of collective action to pursue their welfare. Within a week, they proved that collective action was the principal means of union struggle. They fearlessly defied the various schemes concocted by management as well as the DOLE's determination to thwart their struggle. Thus did they experience democracy within their ranks, effectively confront the capitalists and the state's maneuvers and acts of violence and achieve their overall demands.

__________________

¹ Pilfering high-grade ore containing gold. [Back]

07 July 2003
English Edition

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