The National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) has ordered GMA Network Inc. to give P21 million as compensations and wages to more than 30 illegally dismissed workers.
The commission’s 11-page decision also ordered the reinstatement of the employees, who are duly members of the Talents Association of GMA-7 (TAG).
According to the NLRC, only 35 out of 53 petitioners were considered illegally dismissed. The other 15 were not covered by the decision for their unauthorized absences.
The labor commission also did not include the three of the complainants, due to different circumstances such as; one of whom resigned, the other petitioner terminated due to embezzled company funds and another one dismissed in 2011, which is beyond the prescriptive period of 4 years.
The NLRC earlier ruled that the TAG members were “entitled to security of tenure and all benefits and rights appurtenant thereto.”
The decision comes as a response to the 2014 case filed by the employees, claiming that GMA-7 denied them of regularization status despite long years of service to the media company.
Gozon-led network spearheaded a motion for reconsideration but it was junked by NLRC in January 2016 for lack of merit or evidence.
The NLRC ruling, pushed GMA to reinstate the workers and provide “payment of back wages computed from the date of their dismissal up to the time of their actual reinstatement without loss of seniority rights and other privileges.”
GMA, one of the leading media company in the Philippines, will have to pay a total of P21,429,366 in back wages of illegally dismissed workers.
RSS