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Unionised staff of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), has indicated their intention to petition the National Media Commission (NMC) today, Monday, July 20, 2020, to intervene over plans by the government to drop three of its channels.

The Union last Friday indicated their fear in a held durbar to protest the move by the government, saying that ceding three channels of GBC will render some workers jobless.

Speaking to Accra-based Citi News, the Vice Chairman of the Union, Mark Agodoa, mentioned that the National Media Commission (NMC) must intervene as it is the constitutional mandate of NMC to get involved.

“Yes, we will petition. We will send a petition to the NMC because we want the NMC to intervene. It is their constitutional mandate to do that. We just want them to talk or maybe negotiate because the workers are resolute with their decision. Whatever the case is, there is a room for dialogue.”

Protest

Meanwhile, the GBC staff upon the announcement to cede three channels has already served notice of their readiness to challenge moves to reduce the state broadcaster’s channels; asserting that the decision could collapse the company.

Secretary of the GBC Union, Nutor Bibinii insisted that the GBC workers will continually protest the government’s decision until the Minister of Communication rescinds the decision.

“We are humbly advising her [Minister of Communications]. She can take ten channels to herself but what belongs to the state, no political activist can come for it. If previous Ministers of Communication were taking one each, how many would have been left? We are saying no. It will not work and we shall challenge this decision at the peril of our lives”. he insisted.

Currently, GBC is said to be operating on the DSTV, GBC T1 and DTT transmission platforms. TV users who have access to these platforms are able to watch all of GBC’s six channels on either platform.

GBC had already written to the NMC to express its dissatisfaction over the matter in a bid to nullify the proposed move by government.

Information Ministry clarifies

The Minister of Information, Oppong Nkrumah, under whose Ministry the state broadcaster falls, had explained that the managers of the DTT platform want to reduce redundancy hence the directive to GBC.

The decision of the government has received backlash from some individuals and groups, including the Minority side in Parliament saying it is unlawful.