GBC Workers Descend on Director General

Report by Nana POKU
A group of workers at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) have called on the authority to remove
the current Director-General of the Corporation for his insincerity and autocracy.
According to the section of the workers who spoke on anonymity, the D-G, Professor Amini Alhassan is
so autocratic and authoritative to an extent that, he does not reason with anyone in matters relating to
the welfare of the workers.
According to them, the DG lied about the issues concerning the recent All Africa Games held in Ghana a
few weeks ago regarding the money the GBC contracted from the Sports Ministry.
"He told us that GBC did NOT get a pesewa from the Sports Ministry only to turn round to give out a
figure of 105, 000 dollars when he was exposed by the minister of Youth and Sports," they stated.
"Forty-four of our technicians, reporters, and producers were deployed to various points to work but
were denied their daily allowances,” the workers claimed.
It took Union leaders and management to secure a paltry hundred Ghana cedis instead of five hundred
Ghana cedis per person.
“Even ordinary water was not given to us, let alone food," the workers claimed.
The workers indicated that an international tournament of this calibre was supposed to give their crew
something substantial in the end, but only peanuts were given to them.
The crew complained, but the DG refused their request with impunity.
"We have copies of letters we wrote to the DG, which he flatly refused to reply; even at meetings, he
decides the way forward without bending to good suggestions from anyone.  Those who spoke their
minds had been demoted or transferred.
“As we speak, he has suspended the Director of TV to a mere General Services portfolio when the latter
sought parity and equity in the scheme of things regarding the workers' allowances at the games," the
workers said.
The workers have therefore appealed to the sector minister and the government to remove him or
suspend the DG for full scale investigations into the 3.5 million dollars saga and other matters as a
matter of national interest.
“There are more issues simmering for detailed disclosure and revelation to set the records straight once
and for all and to assuage the corporation from all manipulations and suspicions,” they said.
The workers said the DG is sitting on a lot of hidden things, and his removal or interdiction will enable
proper investigation to bring out all the issues and the truth in those matters.