Group wants just pay for media workers

A MILITANT group on Wednesday called for just compensation for media workers as it challenged the government to institute more stringent measures to neutralize threats against them.

Renato Magtubo, chairman of the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), scored media companies for allegedly employing unfair labor practices despite their constant adherence to "service, truth and freedom."

He noted that "majority" of media workers have no job security, less paid, and have no unions that will bargain for their rights and privileges, unlike their foreign counterparts.

He said media organizations in the country can afford to give their workers higher wages while asking the government to renounce the policy of contractualization and cheap labor.

Meanwhile, PM attributes the series of media killings in the country to the culture of impunity developed under repressive regimes.

Media watchdog Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) said that nine Filipino journalists died from May 2010 to April 2011, six of which are work-related deaths.

"To end violence, President Benigno Aquino III should decisively do away with horse-trading and political alliances which hinder the campaign against warlordism and organized crimes," Magtubo said.

Beyond the immediate wage increase issue, the group is pushing for an overhaul of the wage fixing system in the country.

PM is advocating for the establishment of a National Wage Commission to replace the regional wage boards. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)