Central-based television station, WIN TV, is said to be in dire financial difficulties and management temporarily sent home nine of its employees on Wednesday.
Speaking with the T&T Guardian, a senior employee, on the condition of strict anonymity, said since the employees were briefed on the downsizing of the company’s operations significantly many of them have been in a state of uncertainty.
Some were seen crying, while some, who knew what was coming, sent in their resignations with immediate effect.
T&T Guardian was told that Head of News, Sunil Ramdeen, resigned about two months ago, leaving Erica Ramjass as the acting Head of News.
As part of the downsizing, the remaining 12 members of staff have been informed by the chief executive officer (CEO), Hansen Narinesingh, that a shift system will be introduced; there would now be a 20-hour work week with pay cut; there will no longer be a midday news and the 7 pm newscast will now be recorded at 4 pm and broadcast at 7 pm.
Its morning programme, Sunrise, and radio news and radio station 101.1 FM will not be affected in any way.
Another employee at the station, who wished not to be identified, claimed that subsequent to the death of WIN’s owner Mohan Jaikaran in April last year, the station had been heading downhill.
The employee added that it seemed to get worse when, in February, Jaikaran’s daughter, Shantel and her mother, Indra, made a public announcement on the company’s television station, WIN TV, claiming it was being “hounded out of business.”
In the statement Shantel gave no reason for the company’s trouble but said there was a possibility of losing its licence from the Telecommunications Authority of T&T and that there were people who did not want the company to survive.
“It is from then we knew that things were not right here at the station and the future seemed hopeless.
We remained in the dark throughout until Wednesday when they sent home the nine employees.
“Although they said it is not permanent and that if things improved they would get back their jobs in three months time but what happens if things don’t improve?
Yes, they said they will be given VSEP packages but we don’t even know if that is a surety. Nothing is sure right now,” the employee said. “Things are very grim, the CEO is not even talking, not even to the media.
We are all in a sombre mood,” the employee added.
The senior employee, who spoke with the T&T Guardian, said only about $1 million was paid to the Telecommunications Authority of T&T (TATT), which was a portion of the $5 million in outstanding licensing fees owed to TATT. “We are hearing that it is just a waiting game. The management is still waiting on word from TATT with regards to the licence.
We were told that there is a new board so maybe there is some kind of delay, we do not know.
It is because of this delay that the station is unable to generate revenue,” the senior employee added.
BACKGROUND INFO
On February 26, WIN Caribbean Ltd was given a few days to pay almost $5 million in outstanding licensing fees to the TATT or it will be forced to shutdown its television and radio stations.
The company’s owner, Shantel Jaikaran, lost her application for an injunction which would have forced TATT to grant it a temporary extension of its licence while it challenged TATT’s decision not to renew it until the arrears, owed since 2011, were cleared. In a 17-page judgment, High Court Justice Vasheist Kokaram ruled he could not grant the injunction as the company had failed to raise an arguable case that TATT acted irrationally and unfairly when it made its earlier decision.
In her application for judicial review, Jaikaran claimed TATT had informed her that the company’s non-transferable licence was not being renewed because it was in the name of her father, Mohan, who died in April last year. TATT had agreed to consider transferring the licence and recommending its renewal if the arrears were cleared. Jaikaran had claimed that she only learned of the debt after her father’s death and needed time to sell some of the company’s assets and could not meet the deadline set by the authority. She had also contended that she was in ongoing negotiations with TATT when it made its final decision and was not consulted before being informed on February 17.
Kokaram also criticised Jaikaran for waiting on the eve of the expiration of the company’s licence to file a lawsuit and intensify negotiations with TATT, which he said should have been finalised by her father before his death.
As part of his judgment, Kokaram also ordered that the company pay TATT’s legal fees for defending the injunction application. Efforts to reach the CEO Narinesingh for comment yesterday were unsuccessful.