Calm returns to New Times- parties agree to resolve differences

Calm has returned to the New Times Corporation (NTC) following an agreement that issues that culminated in the industrial disturbances which started on Monday, September 18, 2017 should be amicably settled by due process.

In a communique jointly signed by the acting NTC Board Chairman, Mrs Ivy Austin, and the General Secretary of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), Mr Solomon Kotei, and copied to the National Media Commission (NMC) and the National Labour Commission (NLC), the parties resolved to ensure that normalcy returned to the corporation immediately.

Meeting

The communique said following a meeting held yesterday on the developments that took place from last Monday involving the workers, the board of directors, management and the ICU that represented the workers of NTC, the parties resolved that the union in particular should take steps to ensure that sanity prevailed on the premises of the corporation.

“That the issues culminating in the upheaval should be amicably settled by due process. By this arrangement, normalcy is expected to return to New Times Corporation immediately," the communique said.

It added that "the board of directors and management should ensure that the concerns of the workers are fully addressed through due process."

It further stated that “no worker should be victimised as a result of the industrial action.”

Development

The Managing Director of the corporation, Ms Carol Annang, who had been prevented from getting access to her office since last Monday, yesterday reported to work albeit under a police guard.

The workers had alleged that she was mismanaging the corporation, leading to its under-performance.

It took the intervention of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr David Asante-Apeatu, to get the workers to remain calm while the police investigated the allegations.