The Bacolod City Water District (BACIWA) has filed a motion for reconsideration to the decision of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Regional Office 6 that ordered the reinstatement of 60 sacked employees.
In a statement released Thursday, September 9, the BACIWA board of directors said that the MR filed on Wednesday, September 8, was within the reglementary period and the execution of the CSC decision should be held in abeyance pending resolution of the case.
The sacked BACIWA employees had already demanded that the utility firm give their jobs back.
Aside from the reinstatement of the 60 terminated workers, the CSC-6 also ordered BACIWA to pay their back wages.
The CSC resolution came eight months after the positions of the 60 workers were declared redundant by the BACIWA board after its joint venture agreement (JVA) with PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. (PrimeWater), which is owned by the Villar family.
PrimeWater took over the operations of BACIWA in November 2020, while the 60 employees were terminated at the end of December.
The sacked employees were given options to either re-apply with PrimeWater or avail of the early retirement package, which they refused.
Of the 60 terminated employees, nine have already settled and availed of the retirement package.
BACIWA earlier said it stands firm on its decision to declare the positions of the former employees as redundant.
It added that almost 400 employees chose to be either absorbed by PrimeWater or retire with benefits.*