Labor leaders: Take care of Sky Cable workers

Labor leaders on Monday called to fight against the unjust layoffs and violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement due to PLDT’s acquisition of SkyCable from the Lopez family.

The family has sold Sky to businessman Manny Pangilinan, who is planning to use Sky’s consumer base to beef up his own Cignal. Sky will cease operations on Feb. 27 and is expected to displace its workers. The deal also effectively put workers of  Sky’s ABS-CBN’s News Channel in limbo.

In a statement, the Kilusang Mayo Uno said the layoff was a direct attack on union rights and job security of workers.

The labor group said that nearly 80 employees, including eight supervisors and four officials of the SkyCable Supervisors Union will be arbitrarily laid off.

KMU also said that there are no consultation that took place before the dismissal, saying that these workers will no longer have a livelihood effective next month.

KMU said that all workers across the country and the world must support the fight of SkyCable workers.

“The worker is not a toy to be thrown away when the employer thinks he is no longer useful,” KMU said.

“We have the right to decent, regular, and stable employment,” the group added.

Labor leader Leody de Guzman on Sunday evening said workers should not be considered as a simple expense or “labor cost” in consolidating monopolies.

“The worker should not be considered a simple expense or “labor cost” in the consolidation of monopolies, in the pursuit of victory in capitalist competition,” De Guzman said.

“The worker is a person, not an ordinary thing! The present and future of their families depend on their occupation,” he added.

Last week when ABS-CBN Corporation announced that the Philippine Competition Commission gave a go signal for the sale of 100 percent of Sky Cable’s total issued and outstanding capital stock to PLDT.

In a company disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the Lopez-owned company said it was on Saturday, 19 January when the PCC gave its go signal.

“The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC), on January 19, 2023, allowed the sale of Sky Cable’s broadband business and related assets to PLDT via the sale of 100% of Sky’s total issued and outstanding capital stock (the “Proposed Transaction”),” ABS-CBN said.

The company said that the sale is still subject to closing conditions.

Sky Cable has 700,000 subscribers, controlling 45 percent of the cable market.

READ: Sky Cable holds goodbye plans ’til gov’t Oks its deal with Cignal