Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 26)— The labor union of a high-end hospital in Taguig City has filed a notice of strike, claiming that its management disregarded an order from the Labor Department concerning employer-employee bargaining policies.

Officers of a labor union of the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Bonifacio Global City filed the notice against the hospital management on Thursday, after the latter failed to hold a certification election that would determine the employees’ rightful representative in collective bargaining negotiations.

The Labor Department issued the order for a certification election last July.

Under the labor laws, a certification election is the process of determining—through a secret ballot—the sole end exclusive bargaining agent of all employees in a bargaining unit.

Sherwin Moscosa, president of the St. Luke's Medical Center (BGC) Employees Union-Independent, said the hospital management “willfully engaged in unfair labor practice” when it chose to bargain with another group. He cited Article 256 of the Labor Code, which deemed it illegal for the St. Luke’s management to negotiate “when there is a legitimate petition to question the majority status of the incumbent bargaining agent.”

“Our right to democratically elect a union that shall represent our interests as employees has been violated by our very own employers when they chose to negotiate with the representatives of (Alliance of Filipino Workers) despite being prohibited by labor laws,” Moscosa said in a statement.

In a statement sent to CNN Philippines Thursday, St. Luke’s Medical Center said while the Department of Labor and Employment approved the petition, the incumbent labor union, SLMC(GC) Employees Association – Alliance of Filipino Workers (AFW), filed an appeal questioning the department's approval.

"No decision has been issued by the DOLE Secretary as of this writing," the statement said.

"St. Luke’s Medical Center Global City recognizes the direction set by DOLE with regards to the Certification Election filed by an Independent Union of SLMC recently," it said. SLMC is not in any way involved in the inter-union issue between the two labor groups, it added.

The hospital management said it is "cognizant of its obligations to its employees and is consistent with the direction set by DOLE." and that it "fully respects the position of the parties involved and does not wish to further complicate inter-union concerns."