G.R. No. L-26461 November 27, 1968
ASSOCIATED LABOR UNION, petitioner, vs. JUDGE JOSE C. BORROMEO and ANTONIO LUA doing business under the name CEBU HOME & INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY, respondents.

FACTS

Petitioner Associated Labor Union (ALU) is a registered labor organization with members employed by Superior Gas and Equipment Company of Cebu, Inc. (SUGECO). After their collective bargaining contract lapsed and negotiations for renewal stalled following the resignation of twelve ALU members, ALU declared a strike and picketed the SUGECO plant on March 4, 1966. SUGECO secured an ex parte writ of preliminary injunction from the Court of First Instance (CFI) of Cebu to restrain the picketing. ALU challenged this injunction in the Supreme Court (G.R. No. L-25999) and also filed unfair labor practice charges against SUGECO and its officers, including General Manager Concepcion Y. Lua, with the Court of Industrial Relations (CIR). On May 16, 1966, the Supreme Court issued a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of the CFI’s writ. After this Supreme Court injunction, ALU resumed picketing the SUGECO plant and also began picketing the residence of SUGECO’s General Manager, Mrs. Lua, and her husband Antonio Lua, as well as the store of Cebu Home and Industrial Supply, a business owned and managed by Antonio Lua which sold SUGECO products. In response, Cebu Home and Antonio Lua (respondents) filed a complaint (Civil Case No. R-9414) in the CFI of Cebu to restrain this picketing and recover damages. Judge Jose C. Borromeo issued writs of preliminary injunction on June 30 and July 22, 1966, restraining ALU from picketing the store and residence and from interfering with the respondents’ business operations. ALU moved to dismiss the case for lack of jurisdiction, arguing it grew out of a labor dispute and was connected to the pending unfair labor practice case before the CIR. Judge Borromeo denied the motion. ALU then filed this original action for certiorari and prohibition with the Supreme Court to annul the writs and restrain the CFI from hearing the case.

ISSUE

Whether the Court of First Instance of Cebu (Judge Jose C. Borromeo) had jurisdiction to issue the writs of preliminary injunction in Civil Case No. R-9414, considering the case involves or grows out of a labor dispute which falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Court of Industrial Relations.

RULING

No. The Supreme Court ruled that the CFI had no jurisdiction. The case involved or grew out of a labor dispute. The picketing of Cebu Home and the Lua residence was an extension of the strike against SUGECO, as Cebu Home sold SUGECO products and Antonio Lua was the husband of SUGECO’s General Manager actively involved in the labor dispute. The law ( Republic Act No. 875 ) defines “labor dispute” broadly and does not require an employer-employee relationship between the immediate parties; it includes persons with a direct or indirect interest in the dispute. Furthermore, the CIR had exclusive jurisdiction over the prevention of unfair labor practices, and an unfair labor practice case involving the same core dispute (the alleged coercion of employees to resign from ALU) was already pending before it. The issuance of the injunctive writs by the CFI was therefore null and void. The Supreme Court made permanent the preliminary injunction it had issued, restrained Judge Borromeo from further proceedings in Civil Case No. R-9414, and ordered the dismissal of said case.