GMA-7 talent group wins regularization case vs TV network

Victorious in its fight against labor contractualization, the Talents Association of GMA-7 (TAG) has won its regularization case versus television giant GMA Network, Inc.

In a June 22 decision signed on Thursday by labor arbiter Julio Gayaman, the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) declared TAG members as regular employees of the television giant.

NLRC said TAG members were “entitled to security of tenure and all benefits and rights appurtenant thereto.”

TAG members filed the case in 2014 after claiming that GMA-7 denied them of regularization status despite long years of service to the company.

In a statement, TAG welcomed NLRC’s decision, saying it was a “milestone for the media industry.”

“As a group advocating for the labor rights of media workers in the Philippines, we consider this a very important milestone for the media industry and we hope that this sets a precedent for other labor issues across all media companies in the country,” TAG told INQUIRER.net.

On June 6, TAG staged a rally at the network’s main station in Quezon City, slamming the network’s “harassment” and calling for an end to contractualization in media.

In April, GMA-7 closed some of its regional stations as part of a streamlining strategy to “increase ratings and revenue.” The mass layoff affected around 200 employees.

GMA-7 is yet to release a statement.