JOURNALISTS’ UNION BACKS DAVAO MEDIA WORKERS’ STRIKE VS. RADIO NETWORK

 STATEMENT

July 10, 2012

NUJP-Davao upholds RMN Davao media workers’ right to strike

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines – Davao City Chapter (NUJP-Davao) supports the strike launched by the employees of Radio Mindanao Network Davao starting today.

Faced with an employer heedless of its workers need of decent wages and benefits, the employees are left with no option but to strike, a bargaining act that is rightful under the constitution.

The employer’s callousness to the wage demands of colleagues which are a pittance compared to the profit earned by the company deserves a damning action, no less.

Refusing to go to work until their demands are answered is but a fitting response of the workers to remind the company that they are after all, the spokes that keep the radio business going, and churning in huge profits.

The employees wage and non-wage demands, if totaled would sum up to a measly P99,000.00 a month, in contrast to the P24 million that the RMN Davao station earns monthly.

This strike came a long way. Starting with the dismissal of the former station manager and the sacking of two others in 2010, the RMN Davao workers awoke to the threat of one day losing their jobs if they were not going to fight for it. So they turned to collective action to gain a leverage to bargain with the management following the spate of dismissals. Thus forming a union, a constitutional recourse to be able to defend their jobs and advance their basic rights.

Following the establishment of the union, the RMN Davao workers were able to commence a negotiation for a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) last year. It was timely because the searing price of commodities as a result of oil price hikes had already pushed the wages further down. The employees could not live anymore with a measly P8,000.00 per month.

CBA negotiations however, failed after eight sittings. The management refused to grant any wage increase. The two parties settled on a Voluntary Arbitration scheme, inking a Memorandum of Agreement which stated that union members will be given a lump sum.

The MOA stated that the management and the union will begin to negotiate on the wage increase, rice subsidy, meal allowance starting May this year.  But the management did not comply with the agreement.

Demands for decent wages cannot be put on hold, especially not with RMN doing good business, raking in huge profits. A decent wage is paramount to the media worker’s well-being. Corollary to this is a condition for a free press.

The demands of our colleagues at RMN Davao are just. They are basic human rights.

In support of our colleagues, we say once more that there can be no press freedom if journalists exist in conditions of fear, poverty or corruption. JESSIE CASALDA,Chairperson, NUJP-Davao