— says communication specialist

THE management of the National Communication Network (NCN) is now doing damage control after attracting widespread criticism over its initial decision to suspend its Sports Editor, Jocelle Archibald-Hawke for a period of one month without pay, over a Facebook comment.The state-run agency was also bashed over its decision to remove Natasha Smith from the anchor’s chair due to her pregnancy.

Last week, NCN’s Board of Directors asked Communications Practitioner, Abraham B Poole to examine the facts, and determine whether the charges of gender bias and accusations of discrimination are justified.

After meeting with the Chairman of the Board Bish Panday and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Lennox Cornette, Poole was reportedly given access to the relevant management meeting

minutes having a bearing on the issues.

According to a statement issued by NCN on Wednesday, the Communications Practitioner subsequently met with members of NCN’s Management Team and later with the same team and Smith to acquire additional information.

CAMARADERIE
“The camaraderie observed and the commitments expressed by all of the members of the Management Committee contradict the serious accusations and vehement condemnation that NCN Management has been subjected to in recent weeks. I am surprised that there was absolutely no split in the opinion of all the managers that the management intervention, which unfortunately led to the major misunderstanding, was designed to improve the work of NCN and that there was neither overt nor covert gender bias,” Poole is quoted as saying.

According to the statement, Smith’s immediate supervisor, who conveyed the decision by management, affirmed that the producer was not removed from the television set due to her pregnancy nor was her pregnancy an issue discussed at the management meeting.

However, the minutes of the August 8 meeting, during which Smith was brought up, tells a different story. According to the minutes seen by Guyana Chronicle, the CEO asked that Smith be replaced following his request for a tighter shot (image) due to her present condition.

“With regard to this, the CEO stated that the anchor and wardrobe should coincide with the montage. However, given the present condition of Ms Natasha Smith, the CEO asked that a tight shot be done to remedy the view,” the minutes read. Following that discussion, the CEO recommended that Smith be replaced.

Despite this fact, NCN is maintaining that Smith’s initial removal from the anchor’s chair had nothing to do with her pregnancy.

“This was of deep concern to me to determine whether a potentially good management decision was unintentionally discriminatory or was being employed intentionally to the detriment of the career of the employee,” Poole said.

DIFFICULTIES IN COMMUNICATION CHANNEL
Though his report is still to be completed and submitted, NCN said Poole has already identified a number of difficulties in the communications chain and these are correctable and preventable.

“The diligence of the Human Resource Manager impressed me favourably and the empathy conveyed to Ms Smith with the assurance that neither herself nor her pregnancy was the reason for the improvement measure in the presentation of the NCN news,” he claimed.

On the circumstances relative to Archibald-Hawke, Poole is reported as saying that NCN is constrained by trust and expected confidentiality from disclosing an employee’s details, even if such disclosures would patently justify its managerial actions.

“It is to the credit of NCN, notwithstanding serious and disturbing infractions, that as a good employer it has opted to be hopeful that discipline would result in change. Further, the compassion that has persuaded the management of NCN to review and modify by attenuating the disciplinary measure must be seen as an investment in the future of the employee and must not be viewed as organisational weakness.

“I am respectful of management’s decision, for, should NCN degenerate into an organisation without rules and discipline and is unregulated then it could not fulfil its mission.
“I also wanted to discover whether the NCN work environment was inherently unfriendly to pregnant employees. I did not find any such indications. In fact, colleagues who have been pregnant while in the employ of NCN speak of NCN as a supportive environment,” Poole is reported as saying.

Reacting to the preliminary disclosures, the NCN Board Chairman made it clear that he was not interested in leading an organisation that was guilty in any form of any inhumane practices.

He contended that NCN is an ideal platform from which to foster the rights of women and display gender equity in the workplace.

“Our policy is visible daily in our programmes and presenters,” the Chairman said, adding: “I could go on to speak of a proposal in the next budget for a facility specifically intended to benefit staff with very young children. And this was all written before the unfounded accusations.”

Earlier this month, NCN buckled under pressure, and during a meeting with the Guyana Press Association (GPA) agreed to have Smith return on air. She had returned but subsequently proceeded on maternity leave.

It was only this week, however, that the state-run agency took a decision to pay Archibald-Hawke her salary in full although she will remain on suspension until September 29.