Davao radio station workers end strike

DAVAO CITY— Workers of one of the country’s biggest radio networks have ended a strike that had crippled the operations of one of the network’s stations here and forced its owners to operate another one sparingly.

Workers and representatives of management signed a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) late last Wednesday after negotiations that lasted for seven hours.

“We will show management that now that our demands are granted, we can now contribute productively to the company,” said Rey Fabe, head of RMN-Davao Employees’ Union.

“Let this be an inspiration to all other media workers in other outlets and radio network. Once you unite to correct an injustice, there are chances that you will win,” Fabe said.

Workers turned on both the station’s FM and AM transmitters at 3 a.m. on Thursday.

Leo Daugdaug, AM radio station manager, in a memorandum called for a return to normal of the station’s operations, but told workers to start reporting for work on July 23, which is also the day of President Aquino’s State of the Nation Address.

Under the new three-year CBA, RMN management granted workers a P40-P20 daily wage increase, or an increase in their monthly pay of P1,040 a month this year and P1,560 a month next year; two sacks of rice a year; a signing bonus of P2,500 and a daily meal subsidy.