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Times staff urged to work to change fortunes of corporation

The chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafo has challenged the staff, management and the board of New Times Corporation (NTC) to work harmoniously to change the fortunes of the corporation.

He however cautioned that the NMC would not countenance any breach of peaceful working environment from any quarter that was not grounded in law.

The NMC chairman said this yesterday at the inauguration of an eight-member new board for NTC on the premises of the corporation to serve a two-year term.

The members of the board were Very Rev. Ama Afo-Blay, who retained her position as the Board Chair from the immediate past board, Yaw Awuku Lokko, Alex Kwadwo Boateng, Albert Sam, Prof. E.K.  Quashigah, Dr Kwaku Rockson, Mrs Victoria Natsu and Donald Gwira, who were sworn into office by the NMC chairman.

Mr Boadu-Ayeboafo said the NMC’s doors were opened for consultation to do with labour issues which would inure to the overall benefit of the corporation’s progress but cautioned about the propensity of undermining one another and the act of usurping authority without adherence to laid down process.

He said any act of redress must be grounded on rule of law with regards to the Labour Act, adding that a situation which could be unfavourable at a point could turn out to be favourable at the long run with the test of time.

Mr Boadu-Ayeboafo asked staff to be cooperative with management and ensure that all grievances were duly addressed through laid down channels saying, “You should not resort to impunity in the name of addressing any grievance but rather you must allow the law to works in the interest of everybody”.

He appealed to the new board members to allow their experience and intellectual capacity to bear on their new role since they were all selected based on merit, adding that they should allow themselves to be subservient to any authority for their appointment but rather take decisions based on objectivity, informed choices which would be in the interest of everybody.

“I want to give you my fullest assurance that you were suitable and qualified for the position given you so do not even take decision in the interest of the NMC but work and do what is the interest of the corporation,” he said.

Very Rev. Ato-Blay in a remark thanked the NMC for reposing such a confidence in them to turn things around for the corporation, adding that having served in the previous board, she has gathered enough experience to tackle issues in a more aggressive manner to bring rapid progress.

She said it was heartwarming that, the corporation has many untapped potentials which if well tapped could help enhance the progress and bring it to profit-making ways within two years of their tenure, adding that already strategic plans have been drawn to be implemented vigorously.

Very Rev. Afo-Blay commended the staff and management for holding the fort in the absence of the new board saying “we encourage everybody to continue to sustain that momentum and work together as a body to break new grounds.”

She said given the new calibre of personalities on the board and their expertise in various fields of endeavour, there was the hope that the fortunes of the corporation was going to change with a paradigm shift from the old ways to new ones, building on consensus for modernisation of equipment, news gathering and delivery saying “all of us need to be on board to make it a success story.”

Earlier, Martin Adu Owusu, Acting Managing Director said it was a relief that the board was finally in place to kick-start the process of rebuilding since management was constrained to make any major decision on capital investments.

He said it was equally pleasing that the previous board had drawn a strategic plan to turn around the fortunes of the corporation and appealed to the government to make the stimulus package promised for government-owned media institutions available to put the rebuilding on a fast track.

BY LAWRENCE MARKWEI

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