By Rizal Obanil

It took the timely intervention of Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto to avert a violent confrontation between workers of a pearl shake manufacturing firm and administration employees in Barangay Kapitolyo in Pasig.

A video showing Sotto talking to the administration head of Zagu Foods Corp. administration head was posted on Facebook Wednesday.

Sotto inquired into the condition of the workers, who have been on strike since June 6, and who have complained that they were being forced to leave the premises, thus, causing tension between them and the pro-management side.

“Mahigit isang buwan nang naka-strike ang unyon ng mga manggagawa ng ZAGU. Nakatanggap ako ng report na may naganap na karahasan sa picket line, kaya’t pumunta ako.”

(The workers of Zagu have been on strike for more than a month now. I received a report that the situation in the picket line had become violent. So I decided to check on it),” Sotto’s post read.

Sotto said that he talked to the administration officer-in-charge, and gave them a chance to explain their side on the allegations that they were forcing the workers to leave.

The admin-in-charge told the Pasig Mayor that they were merely enforcing a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO).

However, Sotto explained that it was clear in the TRO that the workers were allowed to continue with their picket as long as they do not impede, and were not blocking the entrance to the Zagu Foods Corp.

After talking for a few minutes Sotto gave the assurance that he will also remind the workers on-strike that they should also follow the conditions set by the TRO for them to be able to continue with their protest action.

To the management of Zagu Sotto said: “Hindi nangyari ito kung wala kayong mga empleyado na 10+ taon na, pero kontraktwal pa rin. Hindi nagkaroon ng strike kung nakipag negosyasyon kayo ng maayos. 5 buwan na ito sa NCMB, wala pa rin kayong maayos na offer/counter-offer. Bakit kailangang umabot sa karahasan?”

(This wouldn’t have happened if you had regularized your employees. They have served you for more than 10 years now and yet they are still contractual employees. There would be no strike if you had just negotiated properly. The case has been with the NCMB for five months and yet you still do not have an appropriate offer/counter-offer. Why does it have to become violent?”),” Sotto said in his post.

The Pasig mayor also appealed to the management of Zagu to follow the rule of law, and respect the rights of their employees.

The video posted on Sotto’s Facebook page has garnered more than 3,000 reactions and has been shared more than 700 times, only a few hours after posting.