AN AMICABLE settlement was reached by the management of Bacolod Our Lady of Mercy Specialty Hospital (BOLMSH) and employees union in a hearing conducted by the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) on Monday, August 13.
The Negros Healthcare Management Systems Inc. (NHMSI) that manages BOLMSH said both parties have agreed of a separation pay of 20 days every year for five years to be given in a period of 20 days starting August 13, while Tiong Bi Inc., the previous hospital owner, will also give the same pay of 20 days every year for 13 years.
NHMSI will give Tiong Bi's separation pay on a staggered basis for six months.
NHMSI assured the union members they will be given the full amount as soon as they receive the payment of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.
Of the 401 displaced employees, 170 have been in the hospital since the management of Tiong Bi while under their management of four years, there are about 230 employees, said NHMSI officials led by chief operations officer Dr. Jude Thaddeus Garcia and chief executive officer Dr. Nestor Amante.
Garcia said the employees were given their salaries from July 22 to 31 and a "pantawid" financial assistance amounting to P1 million when they totally stopped the operation on July 31.
Amante said they still have total claims of P50 million from Philhealth, from March to July this year.
Amante said they went to PhilHealth to file a motion for reconsideration for automatic collection on Friday, August 10.
"We went there to thank PhilHealth for hearing our case. These people are just employees. My point is that we are not a party to the case that caused the suspension of the hospital accreditation with PhilHealth," Amante pointed out.
Noise barrage
Meanwhile, the displaced workers under the BOLMSH Employees Union held a noise barrage to insist to the management that they should be paid separation pays of one month every year for their years of service since the management of Tiong Bi.
They failed to agree that's why they bring the case to NLRC through the Single Entry Approach, said Santi Mamon, union president.
