As the Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas (BCB) makes a second attempt to transform the state-ran entity into a public broadcasting station (PBS), Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) President Bernard Evans said he is not concerned about feared layoffs.
Back in 2010, more than 40 employees were either terminated or took voluntary separation packages, as BCB was said to be moving in the direction of a public broadcaster. This time around, Evans said, he has been assured by the BCB’s Board that no layoffs are pending.
“I’m not concerned about any downsizing exercise,” he said.
“We have been informed by the board so far that they don’t intend to do any additional layoffs. They are said to be right sizing.”
Evans noted that there has recently been an increase in staff and he anticipates that there will be additional “head count adjustments.”
“Some persons left the BCB due to new competition entering the market,” he said.
“That opened the door for hiring and we are continuing to meet with the board to see what direction they are headed in.”
The BCPOU president also acknowledged that the move toward public broadcaster never materialized back in 2010 and following the 2017 general election, which ushered in a new government, the process has been “slow”.
During the recent debate on the mid-year budget, Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister Pakeisha Parker-Edgecombe – who has responsibility for information and communication said, the BCB is moving away from being a propaganda machine to a public broadcast entity.
“We are aiming for balance and unbiased programming,” she said.
