GR 182486; (June, 2012) (Digest)
G.R. No. 182486 ; June 20, 2012
PHILBAG INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURING CORPORATION, Petitioner, vs. PHILBAG WORKERS UNION-LAKAS AT GABAY NG MANGGAGAWANG NAGKAKAISA, Respondent.
FACTS
Petitioner Philbag Industrial Manufacturing Corporation dismissed two employees, Edwin Mauricio and Zharralyn Camacho, both members of the respondent Union. Mauricio, a cutter, was charged with idling based on a supervisor’s report from a distance that he was not cutting textile while he was allegedly taking his turn unwinding material from a roll—a preparatory task. He was assessed demerit points which, combined with prior infractions, led to his termination. Camacho, a loom operator, was terminated for Absence Without Official Leave (AWOL). She was absent due to a medical condition, specifically threatened abortion, and had submitted a medical certificate from her private physician. The company deemed her absence unauthorized because she failed to have the certificate countersigned by the company doctor and did not follow the prescribed leave procedure.
ISSUE
Whether the dismissals of employees Edwin Mauricio and Zharralyn Camacho were valid and for a just cause.
RULING
No, the dismissals were illegal. The Court found no valid cause for termination in both instances. For Mauricio, the charge of idling was not substantiated. The act of unwinding the textile was a necessary preparatory step in the cutting process, part of his work. The supervisor’s observation from a distance, without verification, was insufficient to prove loafing. The company failed to establish that he was not performing a work-related task. For Camacho, her absence was due to a legitimate medical emergency—threatened abortion—supported by a medical certificate. While she did not strictly comply with the company procedure for leave, her aunt had attempted to notify the company, and Camacho herself later called the personnel manager. The company’s rigid insistence on technicalities, like the lack of a countersignature on a certificate for a serious health condition, was unreasonable and demonstrated a lack of good faith. Management prerogative must be exercised fairly and with justice. The dismissals, being without factual and legal basis, constituted illegal termination. The Court affirmed the lower rulings ordering reinstatement and payment of full backwages.