By Lorie Ann A. Cascaro
The Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) Davao Employees Union (RDEU) won their fight against management after waging a strike and keeping both AM and FM radio stations off the air for eight days.
“We have come to realize that the highest means for workers to win a just fight, especially against an oppressive management, is only to stage a strike or welga,” secretary of RDEU Gina Hitgano said.
She addd that the RMN management had committed to implement their first collective bargaining agreement (CBA) last Tuesday, adding that the workers and management were engaged in negotiations on economic provisions the following day.
Upon the conclusion of the CBA, the union lifted the strike at 3:00 AM yesterday, with only technicians handling the operations while all workers will resume work by July 20.
RDEU president Rey Fabe said RMN management agreed to grant the workers P40 to P20 wage hike, or an increase of P1,040 monthly for this year and P1,560 monthly for next year.
Other agreements include two sacks of rice per year; a signing bonus of P2,500; one meal subsidy daily; three days emergency leave and cash convertible-unused five days sick leave; 70 days maternity leave; Medicard health insurance and additional P5,000 for hospitalization.
Management also agreed to implement the “last in-first out” system should there be retrenchment; close-shop or mandating all regular rank and file workers to be automatic members of RDEU-NAFLU-KMU; and, union’s educational research fund of P10,000 and 10 days union leave.
Fabe said the CBA package amounts to P1.6 million that will benefit 22 RMN Davao employees.
“The workers’ strike demonstrated that only through the concerted action of workers can they overcome the limitation and inutility of the Philippine Labor Code and the Aquino government. Delaying tactics and other provisions in the conduct of collective bargaining negotiations have only favored the capitalist RMN and denied the workers their right to higher wages and benefits,” he said.
Hitgano mentioned that their victory is attributed to the unity of RDEU members and support from fellow journalists and other organizations, recalling that the decision to wage a strike had 100% of the votes.
Marvin Pineda, RDEU member, said their victory shows that RMN workers are not only committed to defend the rights of the oppressed sectors on air, but also in fighting for their own rights even against their own management.
Hitgano said the strike is the first in the history of RMN, and the RDEU is the only union among all RMN radio stations in the country.
The RDEU is urging all media workers “to organize themselves into a union, face the big broadcasting and print employers and assert media welfare and rights as workers.”
