Employees seize Greek State TV and radio HQ after govt-announced suspension
Employees of Greece’s state TV and Radio Corporation have seized the headquarters in Athens following government plans to suspend it under pressure from austerity cuts.
Soon to be laid-off ERT (Hellenic Radio and Television) employees took over the state network’s headquarters on Tuesday night. Witnesses said dozens of journalists and employees were flown to protests at the building in Athens, according to Der Spiegel.
People gathered outside the Public Radio & TV HQ in Athens. RT @balkanizator twitter.com/Balkanizator/s…#Greece#rbnews#ert
— Kostas Kallergis (@KallergisK) June 11, 2013
Employees have also called for a general media blackout in
protest, reports Reuters.
Tension runs high inside the studio of #ert where workers prepare the news bulletin of the channel against its clos. twitter.com/Balkanizator/s…
— Apostolis Fotiadis (@Balkanizator) June 11, 2013
“From this time the ERT has passed to the control of
workers, not management,” said former technical director of
the company, Nick Michalitsis, speaking to the assembled workers
on Radiomegaro.
I wake up listening to #ERT, occupied by employees in protest at sudden death, 4 hrs left until it goes off air.
— Asteris Masouras (@asteris) June 11, 2013
Riot police have been dispatched to deal with protesters,
according to local channel Avgi. There has been a further outcry
from both trade unions and junior coalition partners.
ERT was described as a “haven of waste” by Government
spokesman Simos Kedikoglou, who made the announcement.
"There are no tolerances for "sacred cows" that remain intact
when cuts are being applied everywhere," he said in a
statement. Both TV and radio channels will go dead
between midnight and early Wednesday morning, causing their 2,500
employees to be jobless until it reopens.
The official cutoff had initially been declared as midnight.
However, journalists continued to broadcast following a signal to
stop.
#ert journos keep bro/sting even after an ultimatum is published t evacuate building after signal goes off midnight twitter.com/Balkanizator/s…
— Apostolis Fotiadis (@Balkanizator) June 11, 2013
Kedikoglou made assurances that they would reopen as soon as possible, stating that “the new broadcaster will start functioning soon. The new agency will operate with far fewer staff.” However, an approximate date was not specified.
The conservative government’s junior coalition partner,
Democratic Left, said in a statement on Tuesday that it would be
“inconceivable” for Greece to not have a national
broadcaster.
International organizations such as European
Federation of Journalists and the European Broadcasting
Union have spoken out against the move.
Public Broadcaster in #Greece closed tonight for savings! "Absurd decision and blow to democracy", says EFJ President bit.ly/16935Ag
— EFJ(@EFJEUROPE) June 11, 2013
In a letter to Greek Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, EBU
President and EBU Director General urged him “to use all his
powers to immediately reverse this decision.”
Union representatives of ERT workers across three terrestrial TV
stations – a satellite state and its radio network stated that
they would keep the stations on air.
The Greek economy shrank 5.6 percent between January and March
this year, compared to the same period in 2012. The country is
obliged to fire some 2,000 civil servants by the end of the year
and 15,000 by the end of 2014.
A nationwide strike took place on Friday during which doctors and
health workers took to the streets waving banners in protest of
the destruction of the health service, including lay-offs of some
26,5000 medical staff.
