Employees at “Antena C” say they are blackmailed

The interim manager of the municipal radio station “Antena C”, Veaceslav Satnic addressed the employees a letter with a series of conditions they qualify as blackmail. The letter asks each employee to clear up the situations when the interim administrator interfered in the editorial policy of the radio from December 15, 12:30 to December 22, 12:30. At the same time, Satnic writes that in order to approve the Financial Plan for 2007 the institution will justify the schedule of programmes at the Chisinau Municipal Council. “The proposals in writing can be submitted to the administrator. Ignoring this request will be understood as unwillingness of the employees to continue working at “Antena C”. Satnic ends his message with the hope that “the transmission of the radio station will be resumed as fast as possible” and expects “constructive critics, opinions, suggestions – all in written form, until Friday, December 22, 14.00”. The letter has a registration number, being included in the mail register. Several jurists told Info-Prim Neo that the head of an institution can issue disposals, instructions and orders on the base of the Statute only, but he can not address letters to the staff. The deputy director of “Antena C”, Ecaterina Stratan told Info-Prim Neo that the employees are revolted not only at the communication method, but also at his attempt to blackmail them. According to the cited source, the staff decided that at 14:00, when the deadline set by Satnic expires, they will handle over to Satnic a letter were all the problems will be tackled. Several examples that prove the interference of Satnic in the editorial policy will be presented. The first argument is the acceptance of the office without being familiar with the staff and the radio. The employees also mention about the interferences in the activity of the radio station when he came to work with policemen and civil servants, the brutal interference in the programme of Lucia Culev, prohibition of the access to the persons invited to the Open Doors Day organised on December 16, the order to present beforehand the scripts of the programmes etc. At the same time, Ecaterina Stratan is puzzled by the fact that Satnic intends to present to the CMC the justification of the schedule of programmes for 2007. “Approval of the schedule of programmes is carried out only according to the Statute and the law and is not an obligation of the CMC or other institutions, because this is a part of the editorial policy”, Stratan says. More, it is not known yet if the CMC gave up to the reorganisation of “Antena C” via an investment contest, the conditions for the possible investors are not known as well, so that using the term “the plans of the municipal company for 2007” is strange to say the least, the cited source claims. The employees at “Antena C” say that they do not have a reason to believe in the good will of the administrator”, advising him to resign in front of those who appointed him. Oleg Cernei, the councillor of “Moldova Noastra” Alliance from CMC says that Satnic proves he does not know the laws well enough. Moreover, Satnic and Vasile Nastase from “Euro TV” are illegally appointed to these offices, because the CMC did not offer Vasile Ursu the right to appoint the administrators. Cernei told Info-Prim Neo that the letter is not even Satnic’s own idea, but his superiors’. In light of the fact that the staffs have a conflict with the founder, which is the CMC, and because the employees announced a sit-down strike, “the letters of Satnic make no sense”, Cernei says. According to him, the two administrators are puppets mastered by those who appointed them – Vasile Nastase is always in touch with Iurie Rosca, and Satnic with the presidential counsellor Mark Tkaciuc. The staff of “Antena C” will organise a protest meeting against the abuses and violations of the freedom of expression in the Square of the Opera House on Saturday, December 23. The action is authorised by the City Hall of Chisinau.