Workers of the state broadcaster, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) are up in arms against their management over what they describe as unfair treatment and poor conditions of service.
The GBC Workers’ Union is bemoaning among other things the delays in the release of the per diem for its members who covered the just-ended All African Games, the restoration of the salary of the Union Chairman, and an improvement in their conditions of service.
Even though the management has given some assurances and timelines to meet the demands, the Union disagrees, and is demanding an immediate response to their requests.
With this disagreement, there is tension and confusion at the state broadcaster as the workers are threatening a strike to drive home their demands.
Clad in red apparel and armbands to register their displeasure on Tuesday at a press conference, Union Chairman Sam Nat Kevor insisted that the management acted in bad faith in their dealings with GBC workers who covered the All African Games.
“All African Games, our workers were cheated. We were told there was no contract by our management. They were told no money was paid. They started with GHC50 negotiation then under the tree here, we met with management and they turned back to say GHC 70,” the chairman said.
With many union workers clamoring for a strike action, the General Secretary for the GBC Divisional Union of Public Service Workers Union, Bernard Adjei called for calm. The General Secretary says the mother union will continue to exhaust all other avenues with management in the interest of the workers before they resort to industrial action should the negotiations fail to yield the intended outcome.
“As a mother union, we believe that we have made progress. We will give them a date for the meeting. Trust me, we won’t keep long. That is the charge we have now. What we can ask is that you give us that charge, we give the benefit of the doubt. When we go and we are not getting the results you want from us, we will come back to you. We won’t waste time,” he announced at a press conference.
