Employees of Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) – one of the oldest radio stations in the Philippines – have been on strike since October 2, reports Bulatlat.com.

RMN Davao Employees Union (RDEU) started the strike over complaints of the radio management violating their mutually signed collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

According to the 22-member union, RMN has been willfully bypassing the job security provision of the agreement which mandated replacing vacated positions with regular workers, dependents of union members and probationary employees.

Since 2011, RMN – the largest radio network in the country with 60 AM and FM radio stations – allegedly began hiring contractual workers called ‘talents’ rather than probationary workers.

The union says it was driven to launch a strike after weeks of fruitless negotiations with the Labor department.

Romualdo Basilio, secretary general of Kilusang Mayo Uno Southern Mindanao, which supports the strike, told Bulatlat.com: “The workers’ demands are simple and reasonable: regularize contractual workers so that they can fill the vacant positions.”