An attempt to shut down Gloryland radio
belonging to the Bayelsa State government on Saturday was stoutly
resisted by security operatives who, in company of a top aide of
Governor Seriake Dickson, had halted the activities of the angry
workers.
The workers in the state who have not
been paid since this year, had on Thursday commenced an industrial
action to compel the government to clear the backlog of salaries owed
them.
Members of the Radio and Television
Workers Union (RATAWU), it was learnt, had commenced moves to shut down
the radio station but were dispersed by armed policemen who came with
the Commissioner.
The workers had already seized the
transmitter, locked various sections and taken the station off air
before the mobile policemen were directed to put the station back to
business.
However, for fear that they might be
attacked by the irate workers, the station stopped its regular
programming and played music throughout.
An official of the Radio Bayelsa chapter
of RATAWU alleged that the workers scampered to safety as they were
forcefully dispersed by the security operatives.
Mr Hayford Lawson, General Manager of
the broadcast outfit, in his reaction, said that the management insisted
that workers had no rights to totally shut down the station.
“They insisted on taking us off air and
we said that it is not going to happen. We opted to render skeletal
services using senior management staff who are not affected by the
strike under labour laws.
“We have scaled down our operations and
out of four news bulletins, we only have two and we shut down services
by 6 pm. The Commissioner was here with us and did not molest the
workers, there was nothing like that,” Lawson said.
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