The industrial dispute at
Radio Bayelsa, christened Glory FM took a twist on Thursday as the General
Manager flogged four staffers on duty.
The Radio Bayelsa Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ)
and Radio Television and Theatre Arts Workers Unions (RATTAWU) consequently
shut the radio station. Some reports had said the staffers were whipped by
suspected thugs.
Mr Tonye Yemoleigha, NUJ Chairman in Radio Bayelsa said on
Thursday in Yenagoa that he and three female staff were caned by the General
Manager of the Station, Mr John Idumange.
“Four of us, myself and three female staff were flogged by
Idumange himself. The report that it was thugs is inaccurate. It was the
General Manager himself. The blisters on the skin are more severe for the
ladies.
“We have reported the matter to the Ekeki Police Division and
sought medical attention at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa. Workers have
been constantly intimidated and threatened for no just cause.
Mr Idumange declined to comment on the allegation that he caned
the four members of staff.
Yemoleigha, NUJ Chairman said: “Mr John Angese, Bayelsa Council
Chairman of NUJ who is a staff of Radio Bayelsa has also been threatened with a
sack, instructions have been given to stop his salary, we are all being victimized
for insisting that the General Manager complies with Public Service rules.
“We have been under siege since the General Manager was
appointed on December 6, 2016.
“We are not opposed to repositioning the station which is in our
interest but we want the procedure to follow due process,” Yemoleigha said.
After the station went off air, the management mobilised armed
security men and few employees who rebuffed the strike to reopen the station.
The station continued to play music all through as the station’s
scheduled programmes and news bulletin could not be aired, before normalcy
returned.
Yemoleigha said that workers of the station are not opposed to
staff redeployment.
“But the unions should also be part of the process to
ensure that the best hands are not sacrificed on the altar of nepotism,
sentiment or witchhunt.
“We are also aware of the alleged over N5 million naira payroll
fraud which Idumange claimed to have uncovered and has referred to the Police
for investigation.
“Ordinarily, in line with established procedures, an
Investigative Panel should have been instituted to look into the matter and
come up with a report with which management would act as appropriate.
“All these are expressly spelt out in the Public Service Rules;
however, we are requesting for a copy of the police report after their
investigation.
“We have asked management to properly discipline everyone
involved in an established case of running the salary of a staff who resigned
with effect from August 2016,” Yemoleigha said
Idumange dismissed the allegations levelled against him. He said
that the unions were being used to sabotage his efforts at re-positioning the
station which was in a deplorable state before his appointment.
He refused to speak on the allegations that he flogged staffers
of the station.
He said that there was no going back on his reform efforts as
they have received the blessings of the supervising Bayelsa Ministry of
Information.
“This small radio station has 346 workers; employment and job
placement have never followed due process, we are currently reorganising the
place and they are resisting our efforts.
“Those ghost workers must be fished out and the payroll cleaned
up.
“The wage bill of the station is N35 million monthly and it is
not sustainable. My predecessor incurred a debt of N40 million.
“The unions are being instigated by the Heads of Department
affected in the illegal recruitment, and those who came into that place through
the back door’’, he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment