DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 27, 2014) – Members of the Radio Mindanao Network Davao Employees Union held a picket in front of their radio station in Davao City to urge management to negotiate the economic provisions outlined in their Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Union President Gina Hitgano said that their union conducted a strike balloting and came up with a decision to hold the picket Tuesday. Based on the CBA, RDEU and RMN management should sit down together and talk about the economic provisions and this also serves as a venue for both sides to discuss these concerns every three years.
Members of the union also decried alleged union busting after the management reportedly denied workers’ democratic rights and violated certain provision in their CBA. Instead of addressing the legitimate demands of the media workers, the RMN management hired contractual workers without informing the union.
“RMN management is clearly committing grave violations and this is nothing short of union busting,” Hitgano said, adding, out of 22 union members, there are only 17 members left to date.
RMN management reasoned out that it will not hire replacements since other members of the operations unit already have the capacity to do the additional job.
Union members said an unidentified man took videos of the protesters in the picket line and afterwards drove away in a vehicle without a license plate tailed by another man on a motorcycle.
The Kilusang Mayo Uno said it is supporting the union members in their fight against the RMN management.
According to KMU Southern Mindanao Region Secretary General Romualdo Basilio, the plight of union members mirrors the general situation of workers who fall prey to union busting, harassment, violation of CBA, among others.
Hitgano reminded the RMN management that they will not stop fighting for their rights and pushing forward their legitimate demands.
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