Dakar, July 2 (APS) – The Director General of RTS, Pape Alé Niang, declared that he had suspended the application of the company agreement concluded on March 29 between his predecessor and the National Union of Public Audiovisual Professionals (SYNPAP), pending the entry into force of the decree intended to govern it.
Public broadcasting workers, members of SYNPAP, denounced the decision of the company’s new boss during a sit-in.
“I have taken the decision to suspend the application of the company agreement of March 29, 2024 while waiting for the effectiveness of the decree” planned to accompany it, declared Pape Alé Niang in a press release sent to APS.
According to him, the application of the company agreement in question will generate additional expenditure of 1.8 billion CFA francs.
“This agreement, if implemented in all its clauses, will have an annual financial impact of 1.8 billion CFA francs,” said the director general of RTS.
For the current year already, this agreement will have “an impact of 1 billion 350 million CFA francs”, added the journalist and former head of the information site Dakar Matin (private), appointed general director of public audiovisual last April.
Concluded between the former general director of RTS, Racine Talla, and SYNPAP, one of the unions of the national radio and television company, the agreement is “backed by an implementing decree signed [le] March 27, 2024 by the outgoing President of the Republic, Macky Sall, wrote Pape Alé Niang.
He maintains that even the interministerial decree supposed to set out “the terms of payment” of the funds granted by the said agreement has not yet been signed.
“There is no question of the company agreement being called into question by the CEO”
Pape Alé Niang maintains that he will wait “until the sustainability of this agreement is guaranteed” first, to ensure its implementation.
He said he had undertaken “a process aimed at optimizing […] the company’s resources, especially in terms of cars, fuel and telephone, with the help of the “competent RTS services”.
This is the reason why “253” telephone lines “were suspended,” declared Pape Alé Niang.
Regarding public radio and television programs, “concrete actions are being taken [menées] to reconcile the RTS with citizens, through content that takes pluralism into account, on all levels”, he added.
During the sit-in held at the company’s premises on Tuesday, public broadcasting workers denounced the suspension of the company agreement signed with Racine Talla. They say they are considering taking the matter to the labor court for arbitration.
“There is no question of the company agreement being called into question by the CEO. There is no question of that!” SYNPAP maintained during a press conference.
Its leaders say they have the support of UNSAS, one of the country’s main trade union confederations, to win their case.
MK/FKS/ESF
