ABS-CBN allows employees to move to other networks, companies

Following the cease-and-desist order of ABS-CBN’s Sky Direct and TV Plus, the staff of several ABS-CBN programs had an emergency meeting, via Zoom, wherein the network’s management announced its decision to stop all work within select departments.

The meeting was held yesterday, July 1—one day after the National Telecommunications Commission ordered the shutdown of Kapamilya shows on ABS-CBN TV Plus and SkyDirect direct-to-home transmission via Channel 43.

Previously, it was estimated that some of the company’s employees received only half of their salary since June.

Due to the massive crisis in the franchise renewal of the Kapamilya network, 50 percent of employees from other programs are said to have received only 25 percent of their wage, or as they call it cash assistance.

According to a network insider, management will provide what they can only until the end of July 2020.

ABS-CBN management also told program staff that by July 30, they can apply to other companies or television networks.

They will not be held to the non-compete clause in their work contracts.

ABS-CBN Current Affairs writer and producer Nick Villavecer was one of the employees who tweeted about their department's temporary stop production.

He said: "While they were grilling our bosses at the hearing today, we were told in the past that there would be an emergency meeting. ‘You will hear a lot of bad news today,' my boss warned. And the bad news is: ABS-CBN's Current Affairs division will temporarily STOP production."

The information shared by Villavecer was confirmed by Umaga Kay Ganda's July 1 advisory, the morning show of ABS-CBN Current Affairs.

UKG has not been seen since July 2.

The UKG staff message said: “Mga Kapamilya, pansamantala po muna naming ititigil ang ating 'Umagang Kwentuhan' dahil sa krisis na aming pinagdadaanan sa ngayon. Mula po sa bumubuo ng Umagang kay Ganda, maraming maraming salamat po sa inyong patuloy na suporta!”

ABS-CBN's loyal viewers are deeply saddened by this.

Aside from the ABS-CBN Current Affairs programs, production of select teleseryes is also being halted.

While at the hearing of ABS-CBN's franchise renewal in Congress, top executives have repeatedly expressed their fears about what will happen to their employees.

The network executives also did not conceal the possibility that they would reduce workers.

And now that nothing is certain, it seems that the ABS-CBN fears are becoming reality. By JOJO GABINETE|PEP.PH

Source: Peso Economics