By Modesto P. Sa-onoy
Yesterday I classified as hypocrisy the action of VTI of giving and then taking back half of it to pay for the alleged company indebtedness. The management claims that the deductions are reflected in the pay slip; the workers insist otherwise. Who’s telling the truth? Would the drivers and conductors complain if indeed their deducted allowances were recorded?
Between the words of the spokesperson and the workers’, the latter are more credible because the company memorandum says that once the allowances are resumed the amount would to go to the operational line expenses, ergo not directly to the workers. If it was intended to be resumed under the previous condition – the workers getting the full amount, why is there no unqualified and categorical statement in the memorandum that by April the workers would get back their full allowances?
Let management also show evidence of recordings of these deductions being credited to individual workers. Without that proof the management word is not worth a dung.
While the management proudly declared that the drivers and conductors are “members of one family,” the management imposed on these lowly workers the “need to do whatever they can.” Are they not doing enough that management should cut even their tripping allowances by one half to help pay for the indebtedness of the company?
This appeal and the statement of the workers tend to project the dire situation of VTI. Has it reached a point that it has to take back what it “generously” gave? Only a bankrupt company or one on the brink of going bust can do this. Is this not the message VTI unwittingly projects?
The propaganda arm of VTI said that “the Bacolod North Branch finance manager is also available and willing to explain.” If that were so, why did the drivers and conductors go public? The only reason I can think of is that they were not content with the explanation that they went public.
“We ask these drivers and conductors to pursue a more peaceful channel rather than resorting to an illegal strike and coercing some of their fellow drivers to stop driving,” the PR official said, adding that “the actions of these disgruntled few only hurt the riding public who, even now, are suffering the inconvenience of having reduced volume of buses due to the pandemic.”
Was not the action of the workers peaceful? Was there any violence? If there was VTI would have exploited it to be able to claim it is a victim and cry crocodile tears, but nobody mentioned any disturbance to peace.
The VTI spokesperson also said the effects of coronavirus disease have caused a terrible blow to almost all industries including transportation. There is no question about that but more than the multi-billion bus company the greater victims of the pandemic are the workers so that I find it unjust that their tripping allowance had to be reduced by 50% without hope that the workers will ever get that allowance again, considering the provisions of memorandum of December 29 and the information from Iloilo about the obligations of VTI to two foreign providers of buses.
VTI cited the existing health safety protocols that limited to only a few of the commuting public to be accommodated in a bus.
“With the widespread news of various businesses folding and filing for bankruptcy, the management wants this company to survive the pandemic in order to continue providing employment to thousands of people and their families. This involves making difficult decisions so that everyone can stay afloat,” VTI explained.
True but lame excuse. Other transport groups, ants compared to mammoth VTI but similarly situated also survive.
“We know that what we asked from our drivers and conductors require great sacrifice on their part. But, everyone in the company did their share as well with all employees seeing significant reduction of work days and substantial reduction of salaries. This is necessary if we want our company to survive,” it added.
We go with that reasoning but should not the first sacrifice be by those more abundantly gifted by their positions; the least being the last and even spared? Unless VTI is indeed at rock bottom.
Continued on Monday.
