Africa-Press. The decision to dismiss 169 employees from the Benin Broadcasting and Television Company has sparked widespread controversy within union and media circles, amid accusations of arbitrary exclusion and a lack of adequate consultation regarding the restructuring measures recently adopted by the organization.
According to circulating information, the dismissals were implemented on May 13 as part of a comprehensive modernization plan that the company announced in the context of institutional transformation following its replacement by the Benin Office of Broadcasting and Television in November 2023.
This plan includes, as previously announced, an administrative restructuring accompanied by a social dimension and a comprehensive assessment of the professional skills of employees. However, unions representing public media workers argue that these measures were executed hastily and without full adherence to the principle of consultation.
These unions confirmed that they had entered negotiations with management and reached preliminary agreements to establish a consultative framework prior to any decisions related to human resources. However, this framework was not practically activated until May 8, just days before the dismissal decisions were issued, leading to a sudden escalation of tensions.
During two meetings held at the labor directorate, Romulus Sudjimi, a representative of the public broadcasting workers’ union, expressed his strong rejection of what occurred, emphasizing that the dismissal decisions were not presented in advance to the unions or employees.
He stated, “The proposed dismissal decisions were never presented to us at any time, and there was no prior discussion, consultation, or dialogue, nor were any of the concerned parties heard,” adding that the general labor administration nonetheless approved the implementation of the dismissals starting May 13.
Sudjimi described the situation as a serious violation of the principle of social dialogue, pointing out that the measures were imposed suddenly, turning the professional circumstances of employees upside down at a time when many did not expect to lose their jobs without prior warning or clear justification.
The dismissal decisions affected employees from various sectors within the organization, including broadcasting, television, human resources, finance, and communications, causing the repercussions of the decision to extend to different facets of the public media institution.
On a humanitarian and social level, the decision left a state of shock among the dismissed employees, with one expressing his suffering by stating, “The sudden dismissal turns everything upside down, and being fired is painful, especially when the person has not committed any error.”
He added that behind every employee is a family that depends on their income, meaning the repercussions of the decision will not be limited to individuals only but will extend to entire families that will be affected economically and psychologically.
Professional organizations have intervened in the crisis, with both “Badam-Benin” (a platform for representatives and promoters for media development) condemning the decision as arbitrary, while the “Union of Professional Journalists in Benin” expressed concern over the potential social and psychological repercussions, warning that implementing such plans without consensus could lead to professional disruptions within the public media sector.
Unions in Benin are calling for a reconsideration of the evaluation criteria used in the dismissal process, urging for a transparent and fair counter-assessment of skills, under the supervision of the highest authorities.
Their representatives stated that they cannot imagine that 169 employees in a national media institution are “incompetent” all at once, considering that the numbers reflect a flaw in the evaluation methodology more than they reflect an objective professional reality.
Amid the ongoing controversy, calls for presidential intervention to reopen the case and find a consensus formula that balances the requirements of reforming the public media institution with protecting the rights of its workers are escalating, ensuring that the modernization plan does not turn into a widespread social and professional crisis.
