Case Digest (G.R. No. 195297)
Facts:
Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc. v. Iloilo Coca-Cola Plant Employees Labor Union (ICCPELU), G.R. No. 195297, December 05, 2018, Supreme Court Second Division, Reyes, Jr., J., writing for the Court.Petitioner Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI) operates a manufacturing plant in Ungka, Pavia, Iloilo where the respondents, represented by Iloilo Coca-Cola Plant Employees Labor Union (ICCPELU), worked as regular route drivers and helpers. The parties were governed by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) containing provisions on hours of work (Article 10) and premium pay for Saturdays (Article 11), including language that management "has the option to schedule work on Saturdays on the basis of operational necessity."
In mid‑2005 CCBPI announced that, beginning 2 July 2005, it would no longer schedule Saturday work as a regular practice, citing operational necessity and cost‑saving reasons; it would schedule Saturday work only as needed (e.g., maintenance). The union opposed the move, filed a written grievance, and requested meetings; CCBPI repeatedly replied that the CBA gave management the option to schedule Saturday work based on operational necessity.
The union brought the grievance to the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) and, on June 9, 2006, the parties submitted the dispute to voluntary arbitration. A three‑member panel of voluntary arbitrators issued a decision dated September 7, 2006 ruling for CCBPI: (1) union members were not entitled to basic pay for Saturdays they did not report for work under the CBA; and (2) CCBPI could not be compelled to provide Saturday work. The panel denied reconsideration on October 24, 2006.
The union elevated the award to the Court of Appeals via a Petition for Review under Rule 43. The CA, by Decision dated June 23, 2010, reversed and set aside the NCMB award and ordered CCBPI to comply with the CBA’s stated normal work week (Mon–Fri eight hours; Saturday four hours), to allow affected members to render four hours on Saturdays, and to pay corresponding wages and premiums dating from July 2, 2005 until finality. The CA denied CCBPI’s motion for reconsideration in a Resolution dated October 19, 2010.
CCBPI filed a Petition for Review on Certiorari under Rule 45 t...(Subscriber-Only)
Issues:
- Did the Court of Appeals err in holding that the CBA between the parties mandates that CCBPI schedule Saturday work for its employees?
- Had scheduling of Saturday work ripened into a company practice such that its removal constituted a prohibited diminution of benefits, entitling affected employees to wages f...(Subscriber-Only)
Ruling:
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Ratio:
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Doctrine:
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