Having been stuck in the picket line at the AH bus terminal in Comon, Infanta, Quezon for nearly two months already, workers like Roberto Moret Jr., union president of the United Rank and File Association of FOC Transportation Corporation - Federation of Free Workers, are facing severe financial hardships after the company ignored their requests for negotiations regarding their separation pay. 

Roberto, now 50 years old, began driving for the company at the age of 27. After 23 years of plying the Infanta-Lucena City route, the bus company only offered a meager P7,020 per year of service after it announced its closure in January 2025. This is far from the P14,040 promised by the company before its declaration of closure due to financial loss.  

Initially, the company announced that it was to be acquired by the Credit Development Cooperative but later declared financial losses as the reason for closure, causing separation pay for employees to be halved, Roberto said. 

Normally, employees are entitled to a separation pay equivalent to one month’s salary for every year of service, but if the closure is due to serious business losses or financial reverses, it is allowed to give a separation pay of at least half of the initial entitlement, per the Labor Code.

“Ang problema nagkaroon sila ng idea [na] kapag ibinenta ang kumpanya, mababayaran yung mga tao nang tama. Kapag pala for closure ay kalahati na lang, kaya for closure nalang,” Roberto told the Collegian. 

Although the union has reached out to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) regarding the issue, the company continues to skip meetings and mediations with the group, sending different lawyers each time, which confused workers further. 

The case was forwarded to DOLE’s main office, which proposed retaining the workers and reducing separation pay to approximately P8,100 per year of service. Despite this, the company refused to grant the workers’ request and continued to insist on the P7,020 separation pay.

“Maaaring tanggapin na namin [ang proposal ng DOLE] dahil yun ang utos ng aming abogado. Pero parang sila (FOC Transportation) ang ayaw. Gusto nilang buwagin na talaga ang unyon,” Roberto said. 

Without proper negotiations, employees seeking higher separation pay have had their claims placed on hold. 

This forced drivers, conductors, and dispatchers to find part-time jobs and gigs to provide for their families. For Roberto, whose son is set to enter college in the upcoming school year, this means driving delivery trucks once or twice a week to earn about P1,000 per gig.

On top of the employees’ financial struggles, the management filed a case against the union for grave coercion and illegal strike, stating that the issue on the separation pay is not a justification to organize a strike. 

The case was dismissed in the Regional Trial Court but is currently being processed in the National Labor Relations Commission, which resolves labor conflicts through compulsory arbitration. 

Voluntary mediations and meetings between management and workers are also in progress with the National Conciliation and Mediation Board to prevent the case from escalating to the commission. 

But these negotiations would be useless without the management's presence, as they have not personally attended the hearings concerning the filed cases.

“May schedule kami na Zoom meeting pero hindi ko alam kung a-attend ba ang aming manager kasi last meeting wala po sila. Noong sa DOLE, nandoon pa sila. Pero noong may welga na, mga abogado na lang nila ang pinagsasalita tapos papalit-palit pa kaya walang linaw,” Roberto added. 

While several employees have accepted and received the offered separation pay, union members like Roberto remain without assurance until management begins directly addressing their concerns through meetings.

“Kami ay handang makipag-ayos sa kanila (management). Ngayon, kinakapa ko pa ang aking mga miyembro dahil marami pa ang naiipit sa isyu,” Roberto said. ●

First published in June 19, 2025, print edition of the Collegian.