The Guyana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) will resume normal operations on Monday when striking employees return to work, following the signing of terms of resumption between management and their union yesterday.

At a meeting convened at about 1.30 pm yesterday between GBC's management and the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU) at the Ministry of Labour, it was decided that the workers would return to work and that the status quo ante would prevail.

It was further agreed that negotiations between management and the union would take place on October 31. Plans are also in place to hold talks regarding the recent suspension of the operations of Radio Roraima (RR). RR was closed indefinitely on Wednesday.

Service at the broadcasting entity was disrupted after employees downed tools on Wednesday demanding an explanation of a financial report presented to them at a recently convened staff meeting.

According to one of their representatives, the report in question indicated that specific monies, in addition to their regular remuneration, had been paid to them. However, the source had told Stabroek News that no one received any additional money. And in response to their queries about the report, the Finance Controller responded that the monetary additions reflected in the accounts were "projected increases."

President Bharrat Jagdeo has since commissioned an audit of the company's finances which is being done by the Office of the Auditor General.

General President of the CCWU, Roy Hughes had told this newspaper on Wednesday that a letter from GBC's management had indicated the corporation's willingness to meet the union on October 31, and had requested that the workers return to work within 24 hours.

Earlier that day, the GBC management had failed to appear at a meeting which had been scheduled between the board of directors and the union, for 8:15 am at the ministry.

On its third day, the strike saw GBC Programme Manager, Margaret Lawrence, reading sports news, the major headlines, a shortened version of death announcements and introducing View Point, after which, Voice of Guyana (VOG) listeners were switched over to BBC World.

On Thursday, the VOG had been broadcasting mainly BBC World and 98.1 Hot FM, the Voice of America. No local news had been produced and other regular programmes were not aired.

Programmes affected include Good Morning Guyana, Conversation Tree, Quiz Catch, Caribbean Music Box, Best By Request (which is being temporarily aired on the VOG), the Onward, Upward Show, Hot Traxx and CXC English and Mathematics, usually broadcast on RR. Live coverage of the New Amsterdam Town Day activities and the Inter-county Under 17 Cricket match, both of which attract significant revenues from advertisers were also not aired. What's Hot, Royal Power House and Hits and Jams were not aired on 98.1. Death announcements, aired on VOG and the Indian Top 15 usually heard on both VOG and 98.1 were also affected.

A press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) on Thursday, said that the GBC was operating at a loss. It was $7 million in the red for 2001, so far and a substantial portion was attributable to RR which has been operating at a loss since 1999. According to the release RR recorded revenue of $23 million and $19.9 million in 1999 and 2000 respectively and $12.1 million to date for this year, which was a mere 11% of the corporation's $110 million to date for 2001. It said that the station accounted for 30% (35 million) of the company's total expenditure of $117 million.

The release termed RR "a burden to the other two stations." The VOG has earned $58.9 million so far this year, with an expenditure of $52.8 million and 98.1 Hot FM turned in $39.9 million, spending $29.3 million.

Meanwhile, the employees are likely to seek salary increases ranging between 15% and 20%, together with modern equipment and uniforms for the technical and clerical staff.

Yesterday, some 50 of the establishment's 75-odd employees verbalised their disappointment at the lack of support from some members of the managerial staff, despite the fact that these individuals were covered under the Trade Union Recognition Act. They noted further that the greater majority of the current employees were young people, with service of just over a year, and opined that that was indicative of the critical state the company was in.