TV5 Dismisses About 100 Employees as Part of Restructuring Efforts

TV5’s termination of around 100 employees is the latest in a series of problems that surround the network. (Photo credit: TV5)

TV5’s housecleaning under Chot Reyes continues.

This past week, reliable sources reported that about 100 employees of the network were dismissed as part of a major restructuring effort. These include some of TV5’s producers, cameramen, engineering crew, reporters and other talents.

They were, according to sources, fired via a text message, and were given pink slips by the human resources team. Furthermore, a second wave of layoffs awaits more employees starting this week.

TV5 President and CEO Chot Reyes addressed the news in a memo obtained by MediaNewser.com:

“Despite operating at a financial loss for the past years, the company has exerted all efforts to minimize the effects of the organizational restructuring on our people. As a result of an extensive study, it has become evident that some jobs and skills will no longer be required by the company, while some other positions are deemed overmanned.“

In response to Chot Reyes’ address, the TV5 Employees Union posted their own statement regarding the network’s latest move:

TV5’s termination of around 100 employees is the latest in the ongoing saga surrounding the Kapatid network. Within the last half-year, TV5 made some cost-cutting moves in hopes of fulfilling MVP’s ‘break even by 2017’ promise, such as the controversial decision to allocate more hours to TV shopping blocks, and the dissolution of the entertainment department.

Despite these changes in strategy, it is clear that TV5 is going nowhere with the product they are promoting at this point. As much as the network wants to promise something new to their viewers each and every time, they can no longer afford to do so due to the irreversible damage that they are enduring.

That said, Manny V. Pangilinan’s promise of ‘breaking even’ this year appears to be in vain. And to make matters worse, he has no choice but to settle the matter with the terminated employees, who demand compensation to make up for their unjust dismissal.

The year 2017 is off to a so-so start for TV5. While they are trying their best to once again rebuild their overall operations, this latest issue only shows that they are once again making fools out of themselves.

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TAG Wins Regularization Case vs. GMA

Members of Talents Association of GMA-7 (TAG) congregate in front of the GMA headquarters in Quezon City to protest the network’s unfair labor practices. A regularization case filed last year by TAG to the NLRC was later ruled in their favor. (Photo credit: Interaksyon.com)

The disgruntled employees of GMA Network can finally call themselves regular full-time talents.

A decision was reached yesterday by the National Labor Relations Commission. In the statement signed by labor arbiter Julio Gayaman, the NLRC declared that the recently dismissed employees of GMA are indeed regular employees, and should be entitled to security of tenure and all rights and privileges appurtenant thereto.

The regularization case was filed last year by the Talents Association of GMA-7 (TAG), which composed mainly of the network’s embattled employees. Most of these employees come from the critically-acclaimed GMA News and Public Affairs division.

That said, GMA has no choice but to promote the members of TAG to full-time status, and give them a desired salary and additional benefits. After all, they have been working their butts out in producing the network’s critically acclaimed news and public affairs programs, and they definitely deserve some sort of job security for their hard work.

It was a hard-fought victory for the Kapuso network’s labor force. But for GMA management, their problems are not yet over.