Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Gaël Rangain
Published on 2024-04-08 11:30:20
In a letter that landed at the editorial office, a series of serious concerns about management and practices within the MBC have been revealed in recent days, in the context of upcoming general elections.
Here is a summary of the main points raised:
Promotions and recruitment: Employees are expecting legitimate promotions and adjustments following complaints lodged with certain bodies like the ERT. However, they believe that the management will repeat a pre-electoral practice – like the one in 2013 involving widespread promotions to facilitate recruitment – imposed by political policies.
Recruitment process: Concerns have been expressed about the fairness of the recruitment process, particularly regarding the design of pre-selection exams and qualification criteria. Discussions in recent weeks have revolved around the waiting for exam results that took place on a recent Saturday to select over a hundred candidates, including around twenty for the position of news editor. Among them, around ten are already working within the editorial team. Questions arise about the success of these exams, especially if some candidates, who are sons or daughters of employees, received preferential treatment or not.
Influence and favoritism: Concerns have been raised about influence and favoritism in recruitment and promotion decisions, particularly concerning family members of employees and relationships with management. The questionnaire used was developed by an employee recently co-opted to the Board of Directors of the Media Trust. She was tasked with correcting “tests” immediately after returning from a mission with the Prime Minister’s delegation in Africa. Since then, she has been climbing the ladder and is expected to be promoted to the position of Desk coordinator. One major concern during this exercise is the elimination of some journalist applications under the pretext that they did not have the required qualifications. For example, a news presenter without a communication certificate was denied the opportunity to apply, despite other relevant qualifications. On the other hand, a former production assistant, promoted to marketing after marriage, was able to participate in the tests by claiming to have earned points before obtaining her degree. Furthermore, questions arise about the presence of the grandson of a senior executive in Marketing, who lacks relevant qualifications and whose contribution is deemed insufficient by colleagues. However, his presence is justified by his surname.
Internal conflicts: Tensions have been reported between different members of the management, notably between B&B regarding leave management and interactions with staff.
Inappropriate conduct: Incidents of inappropriate behavior by a member of the MBC hierarchy have been mentioned, including discriminatory comments and aggressive actions towards a female member and her personal and religious beliefs. This incident has sparked harsh criticism in places of worship this week.
Embezzlement: Allegations of embezzlement have been raised for Rodrigues, where a journalist continued to receive her salary after resigning. Although leaders sensitive to these issues have sent a high-level delegation to put out the fire and cover the ashes, there are suspicions of offenses at multiple levels. Given the situation, it will likely be unrealistic to think about renting a catamaran for the faithful soldiers for the upcoming year-end party at the company’s expense. There will be some serious reckoning!
Overall, the concerns raised in the letter highlight significant issues within the MBC regarding management practices, favoritism, and misconduct that need to be addressed promptly to ensure fairness and transparency within the organization.
Read the original article(French) on Le Mauricien
