…over ‘anti-pregnancy stance’, suspension of staff

By Svetlana Marshall

EXECUTIVES of the Guyana Press Association (GPA), with backing from the Women and Gender Equality Commission, reporters and human rights activists, protested the National Communications Network (NCN) over the suspension of Senior Reporter and Sport Editor Jocelle Archibald-Hawke, and the barring of Natasha Smith from anchoring the daily news due to her pregnancy.

Following a meeting with the GPA later during the day Smith was reinstated as an anchor, but Archibald-Hawke remains off the job.

Archibald-Hawke was suspended for a period of one month without pay over comments she would have made on her personal Facebook page criticizing a question posed to President David Granger on the Pokémon phenomenon. But long before the Sport Editor was suspended, the Management of NCN relieved Smith of her broadcasting duties due to her pregnancy.

Veteran Journalist and Executive Member of GPA, Denis Chabrol criticized the decisions taken by the state-owned agency as he stood in solidarity with his aggrieved colleagues. Chabrol, while protesting in front of NCN Headquarters at Homestretch Avenue on Tuesday, said the press association’s position is clear – Archibald-Hawke must be reinstated and Smith given the opportunity to anchor the news as per norm.

“We are convinced that what has transpired there ought to be remedied in favour of our two colleagues, Natasha and Jocelle,” he told a large pool of reporters as NCN reporters, cameramen and producers watched on from a distance. “We intend to intensify our action on all fronts, whether be it non-governmental, parastatal or governmental, to bring this matter to a reasonable conclusion on behalf of the parties involved,” he said.

Nazima Raghubir, another GPA Executive Member, described the actions taken by NCN with respect to Smith as “backward.” Raghubir said while the news anchor was not directly told that she should not read the news because of her pregnancy, the instructions and guidelines that followed sent

a clear message, putting Smith in a very stressful situation. “I don’t know that NCN is being run by any morality police or anything like that to say that people cannot anchor if they are pregnant and unmarried and all of that,” she posited.

Turning her attention to the issue surrounding Archibald-Hawker, Raghubir contended that the Sports Editor has been dealt several unnecessary blows. “She has been asked to apologise; she has also been sent on leave; and her pay for the month has also been deducted. What kind of message you are sending to her,” she asked.

Raghubir further stated that NCN must make its Social Media Policy clear, if there is any, and disclose whether Archibald-Hawker was warned before being suspended. Iterating an action, which she would have done on August 4, 2015, alongside Leader of the Independent Party Mark Benschop, when four female constables were sacked due to them being pregnant, Women’s Rights Commissioner Nicole Cole on Tuesday stood on the protest line.

“Both of us stood there (at City Hall) calling it a backward policy, calling it draconian, and then we went in to meet the then Mayor Hamilton Green, to plea our cause and to ask him to rescind the decision, the decision was subsequently rescinded,” Cole recalled while noting that today her position remains the same.
She said the actions taken by NCN are in violation of women’s right.

“It is a violation of the CEDAW Convention, it violates the Prevention of Discrimination Act and it also violates Article 29 of the Constitution of Guyana, which is also the supreme law that guarantee’s women’s rights,” she posited.

Cole, who from all indication was outraged over the situation, said pregnancy is an important aspect of womanhood and most of all a human right. “It is not a new infectious disease, it is a right of every woman to give birth, it is a right for her to carry her baby, it is a right for her to work, and she is a professional woman,” the Women’s Rights Commissioner emphasised.

Communication Specialist and former Editor of NCN, Ajay Baksh also condemned the actions taken by the Management of NCN. “I used to be the editor here (NCN), and we had pregnant anchors before, and we never had a problem with that. I think this is absolutely despicable,” Baksh told reporters. He added: “One has to wonder if these gentlemen are born of mothers or did they come out of another orifice.”
Baksh is of the opinion that “strong action” should be taken against the Chief Executive Officer of NCN Lennox Cornette to deter him from repeating such action.

In a statement on Monday, NCN denied the allegations levied against it, saying that Smith was not removed from anchoring because of her expectant condition or marital status.

“NCN upholds the rights of all its employees in relation to their private lives and may only be required to address aspects of personal issues if they impede the employees’ performance on the job,” the state run agency said. Concerning the suspension of Archibald-Hawke for one month without pay, the company maintained that due process was followed in arriving at its decision. “While the current issue is about disparaging comments made on social media about her colleague’s work and name calling, several other factors and incidents involving Mrs. Archibald-Hawke were considered. NCN will not descend into divulging the details about personnel matters in the public domain,” the media outfit explained.