By Hannah Torregoza Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday urged ABS-CBN Corporation to prioritize the regularization of its contractual workers, saying it should make the welfare of its employees its top priority. Senator Risa Hontiveros (JAY GANZON/MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Hontiveros made the call after complaints regarding the network’s labor practices and its own contractualization issues were brought up in the Senate committee on public services’ hearing on the ABS-CBN franchise. The senator said the network should be compelled to provide improved labor practices, settle contractualization issues, and provide job security to its workers once their franchise is renewed. “We need a pro-worker franchise…Dapat genuine ang pagkalinga sa mga 11,000 manggagawa at hindi lang dahil may banta ng pagsasara (their concern for their 11,000 workers must be genuine and not just because there is a threat of closure),” Hontiveros said. The network has at least 7,000 regular employees, of whom 300 are members of the union. However, the rest of the 6,700 regular workers, known as confidential, enjoy wages that are 50 percent higher than the members of the union. “Kung tunay ang pagiging ‘kapamilya’ (co-family), dapat regular at may benepisyo ang mga empleyado ninyo (If their becoming part of the family is for real, you employees should enjoy regular wages and benefits as well),” the senator pointed out. “Kapamilya” is a popular tagline of the network. The senator said workers’ welfare includes regularizing non-regular workers and talents and granting all the employees guaranteed workers’ and trade union rights. “Moving forward, kapag mapagbigyan ang prankisa ng ABS-CBN, dapat kasama ang sapat ng benepisyo sa ilalim ng ating labor laws na may respeto sa mga union at sa collective bargaining agreement (if ABS-CBN is given a franchise, the granting of sufficient benefits under our labor laws with respect for the unions and collective bargaining agreement should be included,” the lawmaker said. “This is the promise of fairness that I expect from ABS-CBN.” In the hearing, some employees of the network expressed their concern over the possibility that it would be hard for them to find employment once ABS-CBN’s franchise is not renewed. Jon Villanueva, head of the ABS-CBN rank and file employees’ union, said the mere thought of losing their jobs is a “real torture.” “My life, the life of all the members of my family improved. That’s why we are all worried in case ABS-CBN is not given a franchise,” Villanueva said. Responding to a question from Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, Villanueva said the employees also have doubts they can work with other broadcast stations or whether they would be absorbed by other networks. “I think the other broadcast stations are full so it would be hard for us to find jobs in other companies,” Villanueva said. READ MORE: Labor group calls on ABS-CBN to regularize 5,000 non-regular workers