GBC boss asked to proceed on accumulated leave

Director-General of GBC, William Ampem Darko The Ghanaian Chronicle reports THAT the Board of Directors of the Ghana Broadcasting (GBC) has asked the Director General (DG) of the corporation Mr. William Ampem Darko to proceed on his accumulated leave with immediate effect. Other top management staff who have not gone on their leave for the past three years have also been asked to do so. Mr. Ampem Darko and his management team were recently invited to a meeting by the Ministry of Information over the failure of GBC to show a live coverage of the speech delivered at the United Nations General Assembly by President Mills. Prior to this incident, there was public outcry against the sound quality of the national television network's coverage of President Obama's visit to Ghana recently. The Corporation also failed to give live coverage of the Black Stars vs Australia friendly match played in London, after an earlier promise by the station to do so. It is however not clear whether these mishaps might have prompted the board to ask the D-G to take his accumulated leave. The Board Chairman, Prof. John Aheto confirmed the story in a telephone interview with the Chronicle newspaper Sunday. According to him, the accumulated leave of the D-G and other top management personnel, apart from infringing upon the labour laws, was also draining the coffers of the corporation, hence the board's decision. “Yes, he (Ampem Darko) has taken his accumulated leave for 2007, 2008 and 2009. He has to set an example for others who have also accumulated their annual leave for over 450 days to follow" he said. Efforts to reach Mr. William Ampem Darko to get his side of the story proved futile. Source: The Ghanaian Chronicle