Former Miss Guyana/World, Olive Gopaul, is currently embroiled in an industrial relations dispute with management of the Guyana Tele-vision Broadcasting Corporation (GTV) over the anchoring of the Six O’ Clock news.

The former beauty queen, who assumed duties as a news anchor for the News Magazine in May this year, is claiming that the management of the television station has breached her one-year contract, by dropping her as anchor. Gopaul said she will take legal action against the company and has already contacted her lawyer on the matter.

GTV, on the other hand, said in a statement that Gopaul’s contract was by no means violated, but consideration was being given to her to facilitate her participation in the upcoming Miss Guyana/Universe Pageant.

Contacted yesterday General Manager of GTV, Mohamed Sattaur, told this newspaper that Gopaul had gone away for a month without previously informing management of her intention to leave. Gopaul denied this. She said she had informed her immediate supervisor about her one-month absence.

Sattaur said that during the period the company re-hired a veteran news anchor in Gopaul’s place and that person is currently functioning in that capacity. He told this newspaper that Gopaul returned some time last week and after collecting her payments, was told that she had been reassigned to producing and presenting progammes instead of anchoring the news. He added that this move was to allow her adequate time to prepare and compete in the upcoming pageant. “I made the decision after taking cognisance of her part in the pageant. I want to give her a fair chance to compete.”

But Gopaul told this newspaper that the company, in taking such action, was violating her contract. She said she was contracted as a news anchor and not a producer and presenter. According to the contract which was shown to this newspaper, “either party agrees to give one month’s notice in writing to the other party should the agreement be adjusted to change any clause of the contract.”

She said there was something amiss in Sattaur’s decision, which she deemed as rash.

Gopaul said that it was on October 29 when she had returned to work that Editor-in-Chief, Wilfred Cameron, told her that her contract was suspended with immediate effect because she was participating in the pageant. She told this newspaper that upon asking for a reason for her suspension she was informed that it was necessary because she would have an advantage over the other delegates. “This is the most illogical thing I have ever heard and on this note I will like to say that GTV has violated my rights to be meaningfully employ-ed.”

She added that in no way would her anchoring GTV News give her any advantage over the other delegates. “This is merely my job and being involved in extra-work activities such as pageants gives me a chance to attempt to make a contribution to my country.”

She said that on Monday her lawyer made contact with Sattaur and was told that she was involved in too many public activities. Gopaul referred to an instance where she and another anchor had done an advertisement for a local company and were warned by management not to do so again. She stated that there was nothing in her contract with GTV that prevented her from undertaking outside activities. “When I was hired the company knew well about my public life. They know that I am involved in pageants and that I do commercials for companies among other things.”

According to her, as a contracted employee she was only required to anchor the news between the hours of 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. “Once I do not break my contract with them I am at liberty to conduct my other business.”

She said too that her contract specifically stated that she would only be paid when she anchored the news and as such it was her prerogative to decide on what other work she could do.

She said she feels exploited, since she was hired because of her public image to launch the news magazine. And now that the newscast had become established, she was being tossed aside because of her public activities. She said she wants to take a stand against such behaviour.