GBC Is Now "Ghana Brokemen Corporation"

Workers of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) have for the past one-month or so, been flexing their muscles at their new Director-General Ms Eva Lokko, accusing her of turning them into “Ghana Brokemen Corporation,” claiming that the tension under which they operate is now developing into hypertension.

The main beef of the over 1,000 workers happens to be what they say are “stringent measures” Ms Lokko introduced upon her assumption of office to instill sanity into the dwindling fortunes of the corporation even though Directors of GBC flatly refute the claim suggesting that they are on track.

They have subsequently expressed fears that if the current state of affairs at the Corporation which includes the operation of a spy network that leaks information to the DG with its attendant loss of morale is allowed to continue unchecked, it would lead to a collapse of the only State owned electronic media establishment.

The workers who seem petrified at the stature of their DG also condemned what they call “the double standards being exhibited by the DG who they prefer to re-name Yaa Asantewaa.

“On assumption of office she gave the impression that she would ensure a reduction in the Corporation’s expenditure, but she is being housed at a cost of one thousand dollars (8.65 million cedis) to the Corporation every month.”

Figures given by the Finance section of the corporation suggest that so far over 35 million cedis ($4,000.00) has been spent on her North Ridge residence alone over the last four months as a guarantee of occupancy (she is yet to move in) while she refuses to approve of rent allowance facilities that do not exceed one million cedis that they are entitled to.

The result of what they see as her unusual high handedness is the departure of staff especially those in the regions in the droves which threatens the smooth operations of the state owned media house. The workers are also demanding a 20% back pay that they claim Ms Lokko promised them.

They told the Network Herald that though were made to understand that a 20%salary increase was to be paid to them as back pay, they were later informed that the money would only be paid in installments spread across ten months.

But some other concerned workers submitted, “it appears in her desire to chalk success she has been extra hard on the accounts department and has consequently ended up stepping on so many toes who are creating the general impression that she is not performing well.” Other complaints were that funds from a revolving fund from which monies are loaned to workers have been used to purchase treasury bills without the consent of the workers. They call it misappropriation of funds.

Currently, the Ghana Advertisers Board (GAB) has compelled its members to boycott the new 200 per cent raise in advert rates GBC has introduced thus further dwindling the economic fortunes of the sub vented corporation. The new rates have affected programmes such as “Kwaku One on One” which has had to be taken off air abruptly. For inexplicable reasons CNN is also no longer aired by the “Station of the Nation,” not to talk about sports commentary that has also suffered a hitch. For the first time in 40 years, the Corporation has suddenly stopped running commentary on football.

Network Herald also observed that Radio one and two are operating on the same network while their programmes are merged and rotated amongst the two because management will not approve of the replacement of a burnt out transmitter. But some Directors of the corporation debunk all these allegations with the assertion that they have by their stringent measures sealed the loopholes in the Corporation’s finances.