By NITZ ARANCON Correspondent ON the verge of a labor strike, at least 200 non-teaching employees of Jesuitun Xavier University, organized under the Alliance of Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), staged a demonstration in front of the school here yesterday afternoon. Nicandro Borja, ALU-TUCP vice president for northern Mindanao, said the employees were disappointed after their talks with university officials before the National Conciliation Mediation Board on Tuesday hit an impasse. “Nag-decision ang management sa Xavier nga karong  December ilang i-stop ang paghatag og Christmas cash gift benefits sa ilang mga non-teaching (employees). Buot pasabot zero Christmas gifts gyud,” Borja said. He said the non-teaching employees received P4,000 Christmas gifts last year. This year, the management of Xavier University is willing to give them P1,800 each as Christmas cash gifts during their NCMB talks. However, the employees demanded P5,000 each. “Dili man mahimo nga ilang kuha-on  sa Xavier  ang na-enjoy na nga mga benefits sa mga empleyado,” Borja said. The demonstration in front of the university, said Borja, was just an “opening salvo” of the unionized employees. According to Borja, the disgruntled employees have already voted to launch a labor strike through strike balloting on Nov. 12. The employees have agreed to launch a strike on Nov. 22. “Sa strike balloting sa Nov. 12 mikabat sa 148 ka boto ang pabor sa strike, usa ang supak, ug duha ang nag abstain,” said Borja. Borja said that from yesterday until the scheduled date of the employees’ labor strike, they would hold peaceful demonstrations in front of the university in the afternoon daily.