SAN MIGUEL INC. vs. SAN MIGUEL CORP. SUPERVISORS AND EXEMPT UNION G.R. No. L-146206

TOPIC: Right to Self-Organization: Confidential Employees

FACTS:

1.     In G.R. No. 110399, entitled San Miguel Corporation Supervisors and Exempt Union v. Laguesma, the Court held that even if they handle confidential data regarding technical and internal business operations, supervisory employees 3 and 4 and the exempt employees of petitioner San Miguel Foods, Inc. (SMFI) are not to be considered confidential employees, because the same do not pertain to labor relations, particularly, negotiation and settlement of grievances. Consequently, they were allowed to form an appropriate bargaining unit for the purpose of collective bargaining.

2.     Pursuant to the Court's decision in G.R. No. 110399, the Department of Labor and Employment National Capital Region (DOLE-NCR) conducted pre-election conferences. However, there was a discrepancy in the list of eligible voters, i.e., petitioner submitted a list of 23 employees for the San Fernando plant and 33 for the Cabuyao plant, while respondent listed 60 and 82, respectively.

3.     On August 31, 1998, Med-Arbiter Agatha Ann L. Daquigan issued an Order directing Election Officer Cynthia Tolentino to proceed with the conduct of certification election in accordance with Section 2, Rule XII of Department Order No. 9.

4.     Petitioner filed the Omnibus Objections and Challenge to Voters, questioning the eligibility to vote by some of its employees on the grounds that some employees do not belong to the bargaining unit which respondent seeks to represent or that there is no existence of employer-employee relationship with petitioner. Specifically, it argued that certain employees should not be allowed to vote as they are: (1) confidential employees; (2) employees assigned to the live chicken operations, which are not covered by the bargaining unit; (3) employees whose job grade is level 4, but are performing managerial work and scheduled to be promoted; (4) employees who belong to the Barrio Ugong plant; (5) non-SMFI employees; and (6) employees who are members of other unions.

5.     Med-Arbiter issued order directing the respondents to submit proof that the abovementioned are eligible to vote. Respondent complied.

6.     Petitioner appealed to DOLE Secretary, then to CA, averring its sentiments regarding eligibility. Respondent counters that petitioners proposed exclusion of certain employees from the bargaining unit was a rehashed issue, which was already settled in G.R. No. 110399. It maintains that the issue of union membership coverage should no longer be raised as a certification election already took place on September 30, 1998, wherein respondent won with 97% votes.

7.     The Court of Appeals (CA) affirmed with modification the Resolution 9 of the DOLE Undersecretary, stating that those holding the positions of Human Resource Assistant and Personnel Assistant are excluded from the bargaining unit.

8.     Petitioner asserts that the CA erred in not excluding the position of Payroll Master in the definition of a confidential employee and, thus, prays that the said position and all other positions with access to salary and compensation data be excluded from the bargaining unit.

ISSUE: Whether or not the CA correctly ruled regarding the status of Payroll Master, Human Resource Assistant and Personal Assistant as Confidential employees.

RULING: Yes to Human Resource assistant and Personal Assistant only. 
Confidential employees are defined as those who (1) assist or act in a confidential capacity, in regard (2) to persons who formulate, determine, and effectuate management policies in the field of labor relations. The two criteria are cumulative, and both must be met if an employee is to be considered a confidential employee - that is, the confidential relationship must exist between the employee and his supervisor, and the supervisor must handle the prescribed responsibilities relating to labor relations. The exclusion from bargaining units of employees who, in the normal course of their duties, become aware of management policies relating to labor relations is a principal objective sought to be accomplished by the confidential employee rule.

A confidential employee is one entrusted with confidence on delicate, or with the custody, handling or care and protection of the employers property. Confidential employees, such as accounting personnel, should be excluded from the bargaining unit, as their access to confidential information may become the source of undue advantage. However, such fact does not apply to the position of Payroll Master and the whole gamut of employees who, as perceived by petitioner, has access to salary and compensation data. The CA correctly held that the position of Payroll Master does not involve dealing with confidential labor relations information in the course of the performance of his functions. Since the nature of his work does not pertain to company rules and regulations and confidential labor relations, it follows that he cannot be excluded from the subject bargaining unit.

Corollarily, although Article 245 of the Labor Code limits the ineligibility to join, form and assist any labor organization to managerial employees, jurisprudence has extended this prohibition to Confidential employees or those who by reason of their positions or nature of work are required to assist or act in a fiduciary manner to managerial employees and, hence, are likewise privy to sensitive and highly confidential records. Confidential employees are thus excluded from the rank-and-file bargaining unit. The rationale for their separate category and disqualification to join any labor organization is similar to the inhibition for managerial employees, because if allowed to be affiliated with a union, the latter might not be assured of their loyalty in view of evident conflict of interests and the union can also become company-denominated with the presence of managerial employees in the union membership. Having access to confidential information, confidential employees may also become the source of undue advantage. Said employees may act as a spy or spies of either party to a collective bargaining agreement.

In this regard, the CA correctly ruled that the positions of Human Resource Assistant and Personnel Assistant belong to the category of confidential employees and, hence, are excluded from the bargaining unit, considering their respective positions and job descriptions. As Human Resource Assistant, the scope of ones work necessarily involves labor relations, recruitment and selection of employees, access to employees' personal files and compensation package, and human resource management. As regards a Personnel Assistant, one's work includes the recording of minutes for management during collective bargaining negotiations, assistance to management during grievance meetings and administrative investigations, and securing legal advice for labor issues from the petitioners team of lawyers, and implementation of company programs. Therefore, in the discharge of their functions, both gain access to vital labor relations information which outrightly disqualifies them from union membership.

DISPOSITIVE: Petition is denied, Private respondent won.

DOCTRINE: Confidential employees are defined as those who (1) assist or act in a confidential capacity, in regard (2) to persons who formulate, determine, and effectuate management policies in the field of labor relations. The two criteria are cumulative, and both must be met if an employee is to be considered a confidential employee - that is, the confidential relationship must exist between the employee and his supervisor, and the supervisor must handle the prescribed responsibilities relating to labor relations. The exclusion from bargaining units of employees who, in the normal course of their duties, become aware of management policies relating to labor relations is a principal objective sought to be accomplished by the confidential employee rule.