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120
workers coming home from Subic?
By: KIT BAGAIPO
Some
120 Boholanos recruited as welders at the Hanjin Shipyard
in Subic are complaining of unjust pay and are planning to
walk out of their jobs to return home.
Twenty-one
of the said workers have already returned here yesterday,
a week after they were sent to Subic through the Bohol Employment
and Placement Office (BEPO).
The
BEPO office recruited 152 skilled Boholano workers for Hanjin
Heavy Industries Ltd. which set up one of the country's biggest
dry docks at the Subic Bay Freeport Redondo Bay.
One
of the recruits, working as a machine shop operator, spoke
with the Chronicle by condition of anonymity, disclosing that
the 120 welders were not informed by the BEPO of deductions
on their P150 per day salary.
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According
to the source, welders have to undergo one month training
at the shipyard at a daily rate of P150 which includes
food allowance.
While
under trainee, they were allegedly promised free board
and lodging by Hanjin when
they applied for employment at BEPO.
However,
when the welders started work last Monday, their daily
pay were deducted P65 for food, P35 for their board
and lodging.
The
Boholano workers will spend P25 for transportation going
to the shipyard, thus leaving only P25 daily for the
welders, the source said.
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With
such a measly daily net pay, most of the welders are opting
to return home.
However,
many of them could not afford the fare from Subic to the province.
The
source bared they were assured by BEPO their daily allowance
as trainees will be net of food, board and lodging expenses.
A
check made by the Chronicle at the BEPO office revealed that
the 152 skilled workers sent to Subic last week were the first
of several batches that will be employed at the Hanjin shipyard.
Another
set of skilled workers involving welders, electricians and
machine shop operators will be deployed next month.
Hanjin
is investing some $1.6 billion in Subic. When fully operational,
the shipyard is said to hire 15,000 workers.
TRAINING
STILL
The
Boholano workers are still under training (outside the shipyard)
for a month or two as designed in their employment program.
This
was the explanation made by Romy Tagaan, head of the Bohol
Employment and Placement Office (BEMO) when contacted yesterday
for comments.
Hanjin
authorities, during their recruitment told the workers here
that the training for ship building is worth P100,000, but
the workers will not be charged but will be given an allowance
of P150 per day.
Tagaan
said that the workers were informed before their departure
that the P150 include their good, board and lodging.
After
the training they will receive the P235 minimum wage in Subic.
Five-month probationary will come next before they be hired
as regular workers with P320 daily wage or P9,000 per month.
Upon completion of training ad probationary period, they will
be moved to the ship building site.
The
recruitment of Boholano workers is the only one outside Luzon
after representations were made by Gov. Erico Aumentado with
Hanjin officials to boost the employment program of the provincial
government.
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