"WE NEED A PRO-WORKER FRANCHISE," HONTIVEROS TELLS ABS-CBN

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday obliged ABS-CBN to put the welfare of its employees as top priority by regularizing their contractual employees.

"We need a pro-worker franchise," the Senator said during the Senate Committee on Public Services hearing on the alleged violations of the media giant on its franchise.

Hontiveros compelled the network for its commitment to improve its labor practices, settle contractualization issues, and provide job security to its workers, once the franchise is renewed.

"Dapat genuine ang pagkalinga sa mga 11,000 manggagawa at hindi lang dahil may banta ng pagsasara," Hontiveros told the network executives.

"Kung tunay ang pagiging 'kapamilya,' dapat regular at may benepisyo ang mga empleyado ninyo," she urged.

While ABS-CBN has at least 7,000 regular employees, only 300 of which are members of the union. The rest of the 6,700 regular workers, known as confidential, enjoy wages that are 50% higher than union members.

The Senator explained that workers' welfare includes regularizing non-regular workers and talents and granting all the employees with guaranteed workers' and trade union rights.

"Moving forward, kapag mapagbigyan ang prankisa ng ABS-CBN, dapat kasama ang sapat ng benepisyo sa ilalim ng ating labor laws na may respeto sa mga unyon at sa collective bargaining agreement," she added.

"This is the promise of fairness that I expect from ABS-CBN," Hontiveros concluded.