G.R. No. 260801 - Manco Synthetic Inc.-Employee Labor Union-Organized Labor Union in Line Industries and Agriculture vs. Manila Cordage Company

Manco Synthetic Inc.-Employee Labor Union-Organized Labor Union in Line Industries and Agriculture (MSI-ELU-OLALIA) and Manila Cordage Company-Employees Labor Union-Organized Labor Union in Line Industries and Agriculture (MCC-ELU-OLALIA), collectively known as petitioners, are union chapters representing workers in MSI and MCC respectively.
MSI and MCC are domestic corporations engaged in rope-making business and respondents in this case.
Petitioners sought certification elections to be recognized as exclusive bargaining agents, while MCC and MSI contested the employment status of voters.

OLALIA, being a legitimate labor organization, filed petitions for certification elections before DOLE Regional Office IV; elections were scheduled for January 27, 2016.
MCC and MSI protested, claiming voters were employees of service cooperatives, Worktrusted Manpower Services Cooperative (WMSC) and Alternative Network Resources Unlimited Multi-Purpose Cooperative (ANRUMC), not their direct employees.
The Med-Arbiter granted these protests, prompting petitioners to appeal to the DOLE Secretary.

Pursuant to visitorial powers, DOLE Regional Director conducted inspections on April 26, 2016.
Findings included lack of CWW notification, non-payment of benefits (OT, holiday premiums), failure to present payroll and remittance records, violations of contracting-out rules under DO 18-A, and poor work environment conditions.
MCC and MSI submitted memoranda claiming workers were not theirs but of WMSC and ANRUMC; expressed difficulty in obtaining documents.

Petitioners staged a strike on May 4, 2016, disrupting MCC and MSI operations.
MCC and MSI filed a Petition to Declare Illegal Strike (NLRC case), claiming no employer-employee relationship with violating union members.

DOLE Regional Director issued an order directing MCC, MSI, WMSC, and ANRUMC to jointly pay affected workers for underpayment and illegal deductions.
Declared the workers regular employees of MCC and MSI by operation of law.
Ordered respondents to cease labor-only contracting; revoked certificates of registration of WMSC and ANRUMC as contractors.
MCC and MSI filed an appeal to the DOLE Secretary, which was dismissed.
Motion for reconsideration likewise denied.

The CA initially denied MCC and MSI's petition for certiorari, affirming DOLE Secretary's findings.
Upon motion for reconsideration, CA reversed and partially granted the petition, setting aside the employer-employee relationship ruling.
CA relied on the NLRC's final decision in the illegal strike case, which found no employer-employee relationship.

Petitioners filed motions for reconsideration and informed the CA of the Supreme Court's decision in the certification election case, which found the workers to be employees of MCC and MSI.
The CA denied the motion and maintained its amended decision.

Petitioners filed the present Petition for Review on Certiorari contesting the CA's Amended Decision and Resolution, asserting improper application of res judicata and overlooking the Supreme Court's prior ruling.
Respondents contended Supreme Court ruling was not final due to pending motions and that NLRC decision must be respected.

Whether the Court of Appeals correctly found grave abuse of discretion in the DOLE Secretary's resolutions that affirmed an employer-employee relationship between MCC, MSI, and members of the union chapters.
Whether the Court of Appeals correctly applied the NLRC's decision in the illegal strike case in the present controversy.