KMU blasts ABS-CBN order to disperse workers’ picket in time for Noynoy’s visit

Labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno condemned today ABS-CBN owner Gabby Lopez for allegedly instructing an official of the Quezon City police to disperse the picket set up by retrenched workers in front of the company’s gate, in time for Pres. Noynoy Aquino’s visit to the TV station’s office today.

Pres. Aquino is scheduled to visit ABS-CBN today to participate in various activities timed for Lopez patriarch Kapitan Geny Lopez’ birthday. These activities include: the awarding of the Gawad Bayaning Pilipino, the official lighting of the company’s lantern and Christmas tree, and the launching of the Kapamilya station’s Yuletide season station ID.

“Requesting the police to disperse a peaceful workers’ picket is another injustice committed by Mr. Lopez to the ABS-CBN workers. Add that to the contractualization of the majority of ABS-CBN’s workforce, the campaign to prevent workers from forming a union, and the retrenchment of more than 100 workers to prevent them from combating such attacks,” said Elmer “Bong” Labog, KMU chairperson.

“Mr. Lopez wants to usher in the Christmas season in ABS-CBN through shallow ceremonies that will hide from view his company’s uncompassionate treatment of its workers. His family will surely have another merry Christmas. But what about the workers’ families? They have families too.

“It is clear that Mr. Lopez considers his former employees, whom he used to call ‘kapamilya,’ as no more than an eyesore for protesting the company’s massive contractualization schemes,” Labog added.

Noynoy’s vote of confidence

KMU also criticized Pres. Aquino for agreeing to attend ABS-CBN’s important activities amidst a labor dispute in the company, saying the visit is no less than a “vote of confidence” for the anti-worker policies being implemented in the television station.

“In agreeing to visit ABS-CBN amidst a labor dispute, Pres. Aquino is either ignorant of the workers’ plight and protests, which is unlikely, or he is proclaiming to the world his ‘vote of confidence’ for the television company’s anti-worker policies.

“Before Aqunio steps into ABS-CBN’s headquarters, he should have stepped into the company’s labor issues first – and sided with the workers. We know that the friendship of the Aquinos and Lopezes go a long way back but that should not be a reason for the country’s president to condone the Lopezes’ anti-worker policies,” Labog said. #