State radio employees yesterday went on strike over money and their employer later cited cash woes for the suspension of one of three stations as President Bharrat Jagdeo stepped in to help resolve the dispute.

The Guyana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) yesterday afternoon announced the immediate suspension of Radio Roraima's (RR) operations citing financial difficulties. And reacting to the workers' grouses, President Jagdeo ordered a complete audit of the company's finances following protest action outside the presidential complex.

According to a GBC press release received at 1720 hrs, the indefinite closure of RR, a decision of the Board of Directors, comes in the light of the current state of the company's finances. It said that the future of the radio station would be constantly under review. The release further stated that adjustments were being made by the marketing and programme departments, and that clients will be contacted within the next 48 hours.

The temporary closure of RR will affect the transmission of Good Morning Guyana (5:00 -9:00 am), Conversation Tree and Quiz Catch (10:00 - 11:30 am), Caribbean Music Box (11:30 am - 1:00 pm), Best By Request (1:00 - 4:00 pm), the Onward, Upward Show (4:00 - 8:00 pm) and the regular music break (8:00 - 11:00 pm) programmes.

Meanwhile, GBC employees downed tools, demanding an explanation of a financial report presented to them during a recently convened staff meeting.

A representative told Stabroek News, "We are very concerned about the gross inconsistencies in the financial reports of the GBC."

According to the representative, the report in question indicated that specific monies - additional to their regular remuneration - had been paid to and received by the respective staff members. However, the source said, no one had received any supplementary money, and that in response to their queries about the false report, the Finance Controller responded that the monetary additions reflected in the accounts were "projected increases."

Initially, the staff, including personnel from the Operations, News and Sports, Programmes, Engineering and Marketing divisions, had assembled outside the corporation's High Street premises in a picketing exercise. However, shortly after 1300 hrs they took their action to the Office of the President, Vlissengen Road.

After nearly two hours of chanting and displaying their placards, two members of the group were finally afforded the opportunity of speaking with Jagdeo's secretary, who told them that the President was in a meeting but that at its conclusion, she would convey their wish to meet him. A short while later, Adviser to the President, Kellawan Lall, approached the representatives and stated that one person would be permitted to see the Head of State. However, this was rejected.

Some time later, four persons were allowed in to air their grievances to the President. He then informed them that he was scheduled to leave the country today, but that he had given instructions for a complete audit of the company's finances to be executed, and for a report of the findings to be made promptly available on his return.

Prior to this, the police arrived at the scene and informed the GBC employees that should they continue to stand there, they were likely to be charged with loitering.

At the conclusion of the brief talk with the President, the employees were alerted about the likelihood of disciplinary action being taken against them, since they had not given notice of industrial action and their refusal to work was not sanctioned by their union and therefore considered illegal by management. But this newspaper learnt that the workers representative, the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union was in agreement with the employees' action and had written to the management. However, GBC's management had received the correspondence somewhat later than expected.

An earlier press release from GBC said that bomb threats had been made on two separate occasions between 5:00 am and 8:00 am, preceding the picketing action by the staff.

The release said the GBC management was aware of several queries regarding financial issues and had set up a structure which provided the opening for the workers to discuss their concerns with the general manager which has not been utilized. It informed that at present, management was investigating one of the marketing staff on allegations of irregularities contained in a recent special independent audit report. The audit company was assigned the task of collecting outstanding debts owed to GBC but discovered that among other things, some of the funds obtained were not given to the company.

At press time last night none of GBC's three stations had their regularly scheduled programmes. The Voice of America was being broadcast on RR, 98.1 FM was on automatic broadcast and the Voice of Guyana was bringing BBC World.

The radio station strike was the latest in a string of industrial disputes in the state sector engulfing the entire public service to the National Insurance Scheme and agricultural entities.