• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Twenty-eight hacienda workers have filed a complaint before the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Bacolod City against Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama Jr., president of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations (CONFED), alleging violations of labor laws.
During a press briefing on July 18, the complainants, who work at Hacienda Lolita in Barangay Luna, Cadiz City owned by Valderrama, claimed they were deprived of lawful wages and benefits.
They were accompanied by their legal counsel, Clarence Gordoncillo, and Noli Rosales, secretary general of Kilusang Mayo Uno-Negros.
The workers furnished the media with copies of a letter addressed to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, detailing their grievances.
They alleged that they had suffered from underpayment of wages and benefits, were not given their carabao share, and were denied their three-percent share of the social amelioration bonus despite rendering decades of service at the hacienda.
Rosales said that Valderrama should be fully aware of the labor benefits due to his workers being a former member of the Sugar Regulatory Administration Board and the current head of a sugar producers’ federation,
Valderrama, through a statement issued by his legal counsel, denied the allegations, describing the claims of underpayment and non-payment of wages and benefits as “false, if not malicious.”
He accused the complainants of resorting to media pressure after allegedly failing to pursue their claims through proper legal channels.
“What they cannot do legally, they try to achieve by mudslinging and media pressure tactics,” Valderrama said. “My conscience is clear, and I will not bow to any such coercion.”
Valderrama added that he is prepared to cooperate with any inspection that may be conducted by the DOLE, including the examination of payroll records, time records, and other employment documents. | GPB
