Workers of Philex Mining Corp. staged a strike at the company’s Padcal Mine in Tuba, Benguet, on Sunday, October 11, amid a deadlock in negotiations over wage increases and a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

According to DZRH News reporter Romy Gonzales, workers launched the protest following disagreements between management and the Philex National Mines and Allied Workers Union (NAMAWU) over the proposed pay increase and terms of the new labor agreement.

The union rejected the company’s improved offer on September 22 after months of negotiations failed to produce an agreement.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange dated October 1, Philex Mining said NAMAWU had submitted the results of its strike vote referendum to the Department of Labor and Employment’s National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) in the Cordillera Administrative Region. The union voted in favor of staging a strike over the bargaining deadlock.