Government meets MBC Board to avert strike

The MBC employees had threatened to go on strike to force management to improve working conditions and disparities in salaries between those working for the television section and those working for the radio section.

Government has since indicated that by 30 August 2011, the fate of the employees that will be retained and those that would be laid off will be known, a move expected to help government 'appropriately adjust salaries' for the grumbling media workers.

Government is currently preparing letters for each employee, which will spell out their fate on whether they will be redeployed to other government agencies, retrenched or retained at the station.

Strike called off

President of the Electronic Media Workers Union (EMWU), Augustine Lubani, who organised the strike said they decided to call off the strike after meeting the MBC Board chair, Father Alfred Nsope, who told them that government is committed to putting everything in order by 30 August 2011. He said that considering that they have waited for this long, waiting for one more week will not hurt at all.

Lubani said they have agreed that on the day issues related to harmonisation of salaries, retrenchment and redeployment of staff will be dealt with. The Union wants government to tell those deployed where they will be heading to and those that will be fired to get their benefits while all retained should have the same working conditions.

Lubani said they will call for a strike when government will not honour its pledge on the day.