Updated 6.20pm - The embattled chairwoman of the Broadcasting Authority, Tanya Borg Cardona, called a board meeting today after all authority employees yesterday began industrial action and called for her immediate resignation.
Meanwhile the Broadcasting Authority in a statement denied reports of bullying of the staff and said such reports may have been the result of misunderstanding or mis-communication between individuals in the authority. It proposed mediation to resolve all issues.
In a press conference during a one-hour strike by BA staff yesterday, Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin CEO Josef Vella said that BA officials had had enough of the chairwoman and called for her immediate resignation.
“The employees have been suffering humiliation since Ms Borg Cardona was appointed at the helm of the authority, and they cannot cope any longer with the situation. She has abused her position and is making the life of the employees miserable,” Mr Vella told journalists.
“The Prime Minister has been made aware of this untenable situation, and he chose to do nothing. We now want her immediate resignation or dismissal. We will not tolerate her bullying any longer.”
She has abused her position and is making the life of the employees miserable
The Times of Malta yesterday reported a breakdown in communications between employees and Ms Borg Cardona following what they called “unacceptable behaviour” by the chairwoman.
They pointed to various insults and bullying from Ms Borg Cardona against members of the staff, including name-calling and public humiliation.
One employee recounted an incident in which Ms Borg Cardona threw the personal effects of one employee into a bin and sent an e-mail to all the BA staff boasting about what she had done and warning them that they would get the same treatment if they did not follow her orders.
Mr Vella yesterday claimed that Ms Borg Cardona was also abusing public funds by receiving an allowance of €6,000 a year to use her personal car, when the authority already had two cars for its own use.
He claimed that Ms Borg Cardona had also used the services of the authority to distribute Christmas presents to people who had no connection with the work of the authority. Questions sent to Ms Borg Cardona last Monday about claims made by the BA employees remained unanswered at the time of writing.
Ms Borg Cardona’s only reply was that she felt it was not prudent to comment.
The chairwoman – who has no professional experience in the media – was appointed to the Broadcasting Authority by Prime Minster Joseph Muscat.
According to Mr Vella, Dr Muscat’s response to a petition from the employees was that he would not interfere with the operation of the BA.
In its statement today the Broadcasting Authority did not mention the chairwoman but denied all claims of bullying of the staff.
It said it was denying any allegation of irregularity and said it was proposing mediation as way to resolve any misunderstanding and restore a situation of calm.