Labor group supports call for protection and just compensation for media workers

PRESS RELEASE
03 May 2011

The labor group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) added its voice to the growing clamor for ensuring the safety of journalists amid the continuing assault against them even under the Aquino administration and for their just compensation in the face of the rising cost of living.

“While journalists are trained to be placed where the line of fire is, putting their lives in constant threat of violence however makes them suffer the unnecessary consequence of inexcusable state neglect.  On the other hand the nature of their job requires strong job security and just compensation as they perform both mental and manual labor,” said PM Chair Renato Magtubo in a statement sent to media.

A representative from the labor party attended the press freedom, democracy and empowerment forum held in Quezon City this morning sponsored by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP).

Partido ng Manggagawa believes that media organizations in the country can afford to give their workers just compensation while the State can institute more stringent measures in neutralizing threats to media persons.

“It is public knowledge that commercial media in the Philippines is a profitable business.  As an organization, each of them maintains core values on service, truth, freedom.  Yet majority of their workforce work as less paid contractuals, have no job security, have no unions and CBA’s and therefore not empowered compared to their counterparts abroad,” added Magtubo.

Meanwhile PM attributes the unabated media killings in the country to the culture of impunity developed under repressive regimes.  “In the case of P-Noy, however, the problem might be on the perceived weaknesses of his regime,” said Magtubo.

Magtubo pointed out that when dark forces see no strong signal of P-Noy leading this country to a new direction, then everything is business as usual, including the culture of violence and the policy of cheap labor.

“To end violence, P-Noy should decisively do away with horse-trading and political alliances which hinder the campaign against warlordism and organized crimes.  And to promote the well-being of journalists and the workers in general, he should change course by renouncing the policy of contractualization and cheap labor,” concluded Magtubo.