NBN to pay $33M to workers

THE MANAGEMENT of the National Broadcasting Network (NBN) met with the unions representing the staff the Senior Staff Association (SSA), the Electronic Media Union of Trinidad and Tobago (EMUTT) and the Union of Commercial and Industrial Workers (UCIW) — to apprise them of the revised terms and conditions of the Voluntary Separation of Em-ployment Programme (VSEP) as finally agreed by Cabinet.

Cabinet decided in November 2003 to launch a new broadcasting company on a fully commercial basis as the only viable option in today’s competitive electronic me-dia environment. This new company will be 100 percent owned by Government, and its birth will necessitate the closure of the operations of the existing NBN by April 30. The Cabinet decision involves an enhanced voluntary separation of employment package for all employees of NBN. The offer is to be formally made on February 12 with an acceptance deadline of March 12.

The features of the package are:
Severance payments for members of the three unions will be based on the existing collective agreements;
An enhancement over and above the separation payments will be applied to all employees.
The level will vary according to the age of each individual, but the average will be 25 percent;
A further 5 percent on the total enhanced payment will be applied to take into consideration new union agreements not yet finalised;
 A cash payment will be made for vacation leave accrued up to the date of separation;
- Pension plans will remain intact, with a Government guarantee that all plans are fully paid up at the time of the closure. Persons 60 years and over may opt for early retirement pensions with full benefits;
- Health insurance, paid by the company, will remain in force for all employees for 12 months from the date of separation or until they secure employment.

In addition, in its efforts to manage the employment separation in the most humane manner possible, NBN has also made other benefits available to the staff. These include career, financial and change management counselling for up to one year, and participation in any approved retraining programmes in which employees may wish to register. The separation programme involves 235 workers and is expected to cost just under $33 million. Additionally, the new broadcasting company to be formed will soon be inviting applications for its staffing, once its consultants finalise the operational structure, and present NBN employees will be eligible to apply.

EDITOR’S NOTE: In our report yesterday we incorrectly referred to Mr Ken Attale as general manager of the National Broadcasting Network (NBN). Mr Attale is in fact the chief executive officer of Lonsdale Saatchi and Saatchi Advertising Ltd, the agency which issued  the above media statement on behalf of NBN. We deeply regret any embarrassment or inconvenience to Mr Attale.