Staffs of municipal radio and TV stations announced strike and civil disobedience

The staffs of “Antena C” and “Euro TV Chisinau” have announced Friday, December 15 the start of a sit-down strike and civil disobedience related to the decision of the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) by which the leaders of the 2 stations were dismissed. The members of the collectives announced this decision at a press conference organised on December 15. The members of the staffs said that by means of these actions they also oppose to the decisions of the CMC on the reorganisation of the institutions and announcement of an investment auction. Vasile State, the director of “Antena C” stated that the employees of the stations resorted to these actions because the authorities do not want to work in partnership with them, to create a conciliation committee. “We might resort to actions that are at the brink of the legal framework”, State says. Arcadie Gherasim, the director of “Euro TV Chisinau” mentioned that the things happened Thursday at CMC proved the real intentions of the government – to destroy the two stations. “ It is a fight with 2 stations which are still maintaining editorial independence and struggle to mirror correctly the events and the pluralism of opinions”, Gherasim stated. The 2 directors mentioned that the CMC had no rights to dismiss them, therefore it violated the law. According to the legislation, they had to be dismissed at the request of the interim mayor or at the request of at least one third of the councillors. Because none of these conditions was respected, they will seek justice from court. The directors announced that on Thursday evening already, the head of the news department of Radio Moldova, Sandu Satnic was appointed interim director of “Antena C”, and Vasile Nastase, the director of “Glasul Natiunii” newspaper incumbent director of “Euro TV”. Thus, the rumours that the municipal TV station will belong to the People’s Christian Democrat Party, and the radio – to the communists are getting confirmation, they state. The staffs of the stations intend to initiate legal proceedings against the decision on the reorganisation of the institutions, in light of the fact that during their adoption several violations were committed. Also it was announced that the employees of the two stations will organise a protest meeting in the square of the Opera and Ballet Theatre on December 23 at 12.00. The staffs urged all journalists to join them, because anyone could find oneself in such a situation. The Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC), by the vote of the communist and Christian-Democrat councillors, decided on December 14 to organise an investment contest in order to sell the municipal radio and TV stations “Antena C” and “Euro TV Chisinau”. The same councillors dismissed the present managers of the stations. The two decisions aroused a scandal in the CMC.