09. 01. 2012

TV AVALA: MEETING WITH OSCE AND EC

Belgrade, January 9, 2012 (B92) - Three weeks after they entered into strike, employees of TV Avala announced that they would turn to OSCE and European Commission for help.

TV Avala staff say that "there is still no evident will of the station's owners to find solutions to problems that have led to strike", failing to get any information about whether they have had any chance to meet after the New Year with the general manager of the station, Bojana Lekic, whose contract with the station expired on December 31, 2011.

Representative of TV Avala staff Nikola Vukomanovic told B92 that they should meet with people from OSCE and EC today.

"We are trying to get to any solution with the representatives of international missions to Serbia, given that our competent bodies have failed to react in a desirable manner for a national broadcaster. In the meantime, the station has gone into the blockage, so we need express response in order to save the station from falling apart, to save our jobs. On the other hand, maybe someone should say "OK, we are now officially bankrupt, this is the end and in that sense, we would know what to expect, what to do, we will have our answers and will move on. Either way, some people need to get answers as to why all of this has happened", said Vukomanovic.

UNS President Ljiljana Smajlovic told Radio B92 that it was scandalous that neither of the state institutions and competent authorities had properly reacted to the events in TV Avala.

"It is about time that police for comercial offense finds out how it is possible to be transfering the money from one company to another and how the owner of the station could have managed to win back his confiscated yaht, but has not managed to pay salaries to his employees, who have earned them justily", Smajlovic said.

She also said that RBA and inspectors for commercial crime should have reacted by now.