CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, May 1 -- Workers in the Northern Mindanao Region are significantly developing their organizational skills to help them negotiate for better pay and working conditions, a former official of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) said.

In a radio interview on Wednesday, Proculo Sarmen, a former commissioner of NLRC 8th Division, noted that workers in large companies in the region have continued to form unions to negotiate collective bargaining agreements (CBAs).

The CBAs are contracts between a recognized labor union and the employers to establish terms and working conditions, which are usually the basis for increased wages and bonuses.

"We will still fight for the constitutional right to self-organization, t...