Storm Brewing in Benin: The ORTB’s Transformation into SRTB Sparks Change
Things are going high at ORTB, public service audiovisual media. The Union of Public Audiovisual Workers of Benin (SYNTRAP) warned this Tuesday, October 29, 2024 about certain malfunctions.
During the general meeting almost all the staff were assembled. The meeting sounds like a cry of distress and a call for help from the Union with the support of agents from the Radio and Television Office of Benin (ORTB) transformed into the SA Radio and Television Company of Benin (SRTB). The workers highlighted difficulties that seem to be leading the Beninese public service media gradually towards ruin.
The problem is not the transformation desired by the Talon government. Furthermore, the staff support the reforms.
However, there is “abuse”. The agents deny what they call “contempt”. They ensure that the house experiences deterioration. “For two years, we have spent the first quarter (…) without having the means before we were voted on the budget”notes Armel Dossou-Kago, general secretary of the Benin public audiovisual workers union.
As a result, the ORTB finds itself unable to serve the people, to offer them various programs to meet their expectations. So the agents see the supervisory authority putting the public service in difficulty in terms of the Beninese from whom taxes are collected to serve.
The employees see the management of the ORTB as poor:
“In 2024, the budget was validated in June. While usually, the salary budget for the following year starts to be drawn up in July. That is, we went six (06) months without a budget because Madam Minister chose to implement a process that is suffocating; who creates all the problems for us”.
Dead antennas
The government has a noble ambition for the SRTB (formerly ORTB). “But the process put in place by Madam Minister causes problems”, the Union is angry:
“The Minister met the staff of her ministry and said she put billions into ORTB. Where did you see the billions? “
Despite this announcement by the minister, the ORTB does not have everything to the point where agents sometimes work together to keep the house running. Ink, paper, etc. are commodities that have become scarce in this Beninese public media. It is also difficult to supply vehicles with fuel to go and report on the excuse that these news items are not included in the Annual Work Plan.
In the face of difficult working and living conditions, public broadcasting agents in Benin are threatening to shift up a gear. If nothing is done, there will be dead days where SRTB antennas turn black. Therefore, it is anticipated that the deactivation of the entire SRTB network (radios, television sets and the web) will signal a strike.