GBC Workers To Strike Unless Eva Leaves

From All indications, the Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) Eva Lokko may not survive the increasing workers? agitation against her. The workers, The Statesman has leant, rose from a meeting on Tuesday with a strong warning that until their demands are met when the Board of Directors meet next Wednesday they will lay down their cameras and microphones and stage a picket.

Our information also points to workers from nine regions descending to Accra on March 25 to join the picket planned at the premises of Broadcasting House.

High on top of other demands is the removal of the Director General, this, they say is not negotiable. On Tuesday, her pleas to the workers that she was prepared to turn over a new leaf and respond more favourable to their concerns could not sway them. Ms Lokko?s fragile position has been compounded by a damning letter written by her Deputy Director Ken Amankwah, which has been sent to the Board and other interest groups (and posted on the internet) accusing her of incompetence. She is accused of an obsessive interference streak which bogs the Corporation down in unnecessary red tap. On top of that, soundings made by our reporters all point to a remarkable lack of support for her in the industry, both within and without GBC.

According to the workers, including some top senior staff we spoke to, the presence of Ms Lokko at GBC is an absolute threat to the progress of the station. Some even argue the job is too ?big? for her and her apparent authoritarian attitude has not endeared to her employees, let along the all powerful advertisers? association.

It is recalled that after she took a unilateral decision to increase the station?s advertisement fee b 50%, the GBC faced a year-long boycott. This led to poverty of both adverts and programmes, with popular programmes like Key Soap?s Concert Party missing from our screens.

To the detriment of GTV, she dared took giants like Unilever and Nestle on before learning the rules of engagement. Her apparent pompous nature, according to sources, prevented her from even answering calls for a meeting with the big advertisers until the smaller stations, such as TV3 and Metro TV had to intervene and plead on GBC?s behalf.

The workers of GBC say they have had it their tether. They have therefore served a notice to the Board that if by Wednesday, March 24, the embattled GBC boss is not relieved of her appointment; they will shut down the station and even prevent their bosses from entering the premises. The workers have equally served notice to their colleagues in the Regions to be on high alert, ready to join them in Accra on March 25 for the picket.

According to them, by Wednesday, Ms Lokko is still at post, they will all match down to Accra to enforce their demands. The first sign of discontent came to light last Wednesday when the workers at the Broadcasting House took to the streets to register their protest against the manner of her leadership. This was repeatedly carried by GTV news of the day, a clear sing that her workers, big and small have indeed lost confidence in her.

In a seven-page protest letter presented to the Board headed by Prof. Stephen Adai, the workers accused Eva Lokko of highhandedness and autocratic rule. According to hem, the GBC boss as shown insensitivity to their plight, to the extent of even revoking nightshift workers entitlement to a cup of tea to ease stress during the long late shift houses.

They also accuse her of taking too much tax from their salaries without remitting them to the appropriate revenue authorities. They have therefore called for a thorough scrutiny of the GBCs books. They say cannot understand why basic tools for effective delivery