Miriam wants probe on reported mass layoff of RPN employees

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago called for an inquiry into the reported mass layoff of personnel recently implemented by the management of Radio Philippines Network (RPN), which may have been in violation of some of the country’s labor laws.

According to the labor unions of RPN, members of which staged a rally recently at the Senate, more than 200 of the television network’s employees or 90 percent of the total workforce have been retrenched.

They claimed the retrenchment was done in bad faith as it was implemented without the benefit of any discussion and consultation with the workers and the unions.

It was alleged that the notice of mass termination came barely a week after the National Conciliation and Mediation Board of the Department of Labor and Employment facilitated an agreement between RPN and its two labor unions for the payment of long overdue benefits to its workers amounting to P50 million.

The union claimed the two sides were ordered to start negotiation for a new collective bargaining agreement.

The unions, however, accused the RPN management of reneging on the agreement by announcing the retrenchment of the workers with an offer to pay them an amount lower than what they expected to receive.

They also claimed their salaries, 13th month pay and other benefits were withheld in order to force them to accept the retrenchment package.

“Although RPN is no longer considered a government corporation and issues concerning its workers and management could be threshed out under the proper government agency, it is imperative for the Senate to review its labor laws if such truly provide sufficient protection to workers in case of retrenchment due to bankruptcy,” Santiago said in a resolution she filed last week.

Santiago said the inquiry would help the Senate in crafting better measures to protect retrenched workers in the country.

RPN has reportedly been shelling out P5 million a month for the past four years to cover its operating expenses since the network has not been earning revenue.

The network’s acting president Robert Rivera said RPN’s losses were due to the fact that it is no longer producing shows, except for Newswatch Evening Edition and Newswatch Final Edition.

It was reported that RPN has accumulated around P3 billion in debt, P2 billion of which is owed to its employees.

To cover these obligations, the network reportedly borrowed from several groups including Solar Entertainment, which now owns 34 percent of RPN.

Apart from Solar Entertainment, the other shareholders of RPN on record are the Roberto Benedicto Group at 32 percent; the Philippine government, 20.8 percent; and individual private stockholders, 14 percent.