GR L 7649; (October, 1955) (Digest)
G.R. No. L-7649 October 29, 1955
SAN BEDA COLLEGE, petitioner, vs. COURT OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS and NATIONAL LABOR UNION, respondents.
FACTS
On December 16, 1952, the National Labor Union (NLU), on behalf of more than 30 of its members working for San Beda College, made demands for wage increases and other concessions. After the college failed to grant these demands, the NLU filed a petition with the Court of Industrial Relations (CIR) on January 20, 1953. San Beda College moved to dismiss the petition on January 24, 1953, arguing that 30 out of about 45-46 union members had withdrawn their membership, reducing the number to less than 30. The CIR denied this motion on August 1, 1953, finding that the withdrawals were signed in the afternoon of January 20, 1953, after the petition was filed at 9:15 a.m. that same day, and that jurisdiction, once attached, is not lost by subsequent withdrawal of members. San Beda College filed motions for reconsideration and a rehearing, adding the ground that the dispute was not an “industrial or agricultural dispute” under the jurisdiction of the CIR, as the college was a non-profit educational institution. The CIR denied these motions and set the case for hearing on the merits. San Beda College then filed a petition for certiorari with the Supreme Court, seeking to set aside the CIR’s orders.
ISSUE
Whether the dispute between San Beda College and its employees constitutes an “industrial dispute” falling within the jurisdiction of the Court of Industrial Relations.
RULING
The Supreme Court granted the petition for certiorari and dismissed the NLU’s petition. The Court held that the operation and maintenance of San Beda College, as an educational institution founded by the Benedictine Order, was not for profit or gain. Citing the precedent in U.S.T. Hospital Employees Association vs. Sto. Tomas University Hospital, the Court ruled that employees of a non-profit institution cannot be deemed “industrial employees.” Consequently, any dispute between such employees and the management is not an “industrial dispute” under Commonwealth Act No. 103 , as amended. Therefore, the CIR had no jurisdiction over the case. The orders of the CIR dated August 1, 1953, February 12, 1954, and March 9, 1954, were set aside.