by Jerome Pinder
ZNS has certainly caught our attention over the last couple of weeks and it should be no surprise that the Union once again added its stupidity to the situation.
An idiot could see the writing on the wall when it came to ZNS! It was an overstaffed, inefficient organization, plagued by decisions of career politicians. There always seems to be one technical glitch after another and don't let them try to report news live from a remote location, that only leads to disaster. I guess the employees ended up tripping over each other, causing the station to remain in the dark ages. Anybody that could add numbers together could see that the staff compliment had to be reduced.
But what should have gotten any right minded tax paying Bahamian angry was the Tribune's headline on Friday October 15th: "Broadcast Chaos." Click here to read the story.
It was reported that "enraged ZNS employees" stormed the newsroom against pleas from Top Law Enforcement Officials and prevented news broadcast from taking place that evening. And what did the protesters do in the people's newsroom: They displayed their bad attitudes, poor body language, waived their signs in the air, and according to the Tribune's report "they kicked off a party on the newsroom floor with music, drinks and dancing." Jerome Sawyer and Clint Watson's efforts to carry out their duties were interrupted by these idiots.
All of this took place while Assistant Commissioners Hulan Hanna and Glenn Miller pleaded with employees to move to another studio. Assistant Commissioners? Plead with who? Move to another studio? You have to be kidding me!
If the Union and its members had a complaint about the way they were treated (which they always do by the way) or if the Government was in breach of any law, they could have demonstrated peacefully and taken the matter to the courts. But no, they had to make fools out of their members and while at it, hijack property owned by the Bahamian people.
So who are Glen Miller and Hulan Hanna. The last time I checked they were Senior Members of our Police Force. What in the hell were they standing there pleading for? They should have called in the Swat Team, cleared the newsroom and started making arrest. What are we going to do when the Unions decide to throw a party in the House of Assembly? Is Commissioner Greenslade going to walk upstairs and start pleading?
Since this report we have learned that the Government has treated the laid off workers better than the law would have required. Read the Tribune article here. But we could not pull this off without making a fool of ourselves, all at the hands of the Union Leadership in the Bahamas. Would the members jump off the bridge if their leaders told them to do so?
The PM had it right when he said "The government feels that it acted most honourably and most fair and quite frankly we were very disappointed at the attitude of some people in terms of what we offered."
If he can pull it off faster that the BTC fiasco, I suggest the PM privatise ZNS while he is at it and then perhaps we can have a properly run news organization with live reports 24/7. Surely the Government is not going to spend millions of dollars upgrading the facility, only to create a better party room for the Union and its members???
Britian Prime Minister downsize and layoff 490,000 Government workers.Stating that the Government can not keep borrowing money to employed Government workers when the country debt is massive.The Bahamas has a 4 Billion dollar debt and half a Billion dollars have been added because the Government is borrowing money to pay Government workers at Bahamasair,B.E.C,Bahamas Electrical Corporation and Water&Sewage.The country can not afford more debt and borrowing topay workers when these Government Corporations are not making a profit,it is now time for the Government to address downsizing these failing Corporation staff workers,.If the Government is seroius about saving money as was the reason for downsizing Z.N.S.Then the Government have to prove to the Bahamian people and the Bahamas that it is prepared to do what is good for the country and not what is only good for the F.N.M. to win the next election.Without downsizing these failing Corporation can take the country into negative debt which will hurt the Bahamas economy and put pressure on the Bahamian dollar.Let see if the F.N.M Government will not let the Bahamian people and the Bahamas economy suffer by not downsizing these failing Corporation now.
I agree with you.
Let’s also see the PLP response to the layoffs.
If their response the ZNS layoffs is anything to go by, it’s merely a political opportunity for them.
Is there any wonder s=why our country is in the mess its in?
I agree Rick, I am very disappointed in the PLPs response with regards to the Straw Vendors as well.
Both political parties are to blame. One of the senior employees, who has been with the station for 30 years, made the comment to me that both political parties have been giving jobs to people who were not qualified but were given a job anyhow resulting in the massive overstaffing.
The chickens have now come home to roost.