Workers of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation have activated a series of industrial action to push for the dissolution of the board of directors of the state broadcaster who they have accused of misappropriating funds.
The workers who are under the umbrella of the Public Sector Workers Union (PUWU) claim the board is “micromanaging the affairs of GBC” and misappropriating the corporation’s internally generated funds.
They have accused the board of engaging in illegal employment of directors without recourse to due process, and as a result been agitating for the dissolution of the board.
On Friday, the workers in a letter notified the Ministry of Communication of their intention to embark on “a series of industrial action” beginning the same day, Friday September 30.
The letter signed by Michael Allotey and Yaw Ampofo Kwarteng who are the divisional chairman and secretary respectively, noted the said action is intended “to back our demands for the GBC board of directors to step down without delay”
The workers claim the National Media Commission, which is the appointing authority, has failed to dissolve the board, thus influencing the latest decision.
“This action has been necessitated by the failure of the appointing authority to dissolve the broad of directors of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation. This door if negotiation has long been closed,” they said in the letter
Shutdown of GBC
The aggrieved workers Friday morning hoisted demonstrated at the Corporation’s premises and threatened to shutdown the station if the board is not dissolved.
They have consequently given authorities up to Sunday to resolve their issues or face a total shutdown of the station.
They hoisted red banners at the entrance to the premises of the Corporation some of which read ‘NMC act now’, ‘Save GBC from this killer board’, ‘No entry for board members’, ‘we will not allow this board to collapse GBC’ and ‘we cannot with the board’.
One of the workers who spoke to Onua FM on condition anonymity claimed there are five directors who were illegally employed by the Board and are being paid with GBC internally generated funds that is suppoed to be used for other activities of the state broadcaster.
Dulcie Asiamah|Onua FM|3news.com|Ghana