Working Commission says TSF is ‘on the brink of extinction’

The TSF Working Committee (CT) said this Wednesday that it is “completely impossible” to run radio as the Portuguese know it with 30 fewer people, warning that TSF is “on the verge of extinction.”

TSF workers met at a plenary session on the same day, when they were received by the Minister of Culture, Pedro Adao e Silva, together with representatives of Jornal de Notícias, O Jogo, Diário de Notícias and Global Imagens.

“What exists is serious concern and also some rebellion on the part of workers. The main conclusion they came to is that TSF is on the verge of extinction. It is absolutely impossible to do radio, which the Portuguese are used to. in the last few 35 years there have been 30 fewer people,” said Luce Filipe Santa Barbara from CT TSF.

Management at Global Media Group (GMG), which owns TSF, has launched a mutually agreed redundancy program for workers under 61, with open-ended contracts and 18-month splits in compensation.

Eligible for this program are “employees under 61 years of age (inclusive), with an open-ended contract signed with Global Notícias, Rádio Notícias, Notícias Direct, Naveprinter, Açormedia or RCA for a period of more than 12 months and who are currently employed “

The GMG indicated that “the application period for participation in this program ends on December 20, 2023,” and “the withdrawal of employees whose applications for participation are accepted by the Administration will occur until January 31, 2024, with the exception of special cases.” situations in which a different date may be agreed.”

GMG has already said it will “urgently” negotiate redundancies with 150-200 workers and embark on a restructuring to avoid the “more than foreseeable collapse of the group”, it announced in an internal statement on December 6.

“In view of the financial constraints caused by the cancellation of the Lusa deal,” the GMG administration also states that “the payment of the Christmas subsidy for 2023 can only be made through twelfths added to salaries from January to December next year.”

GMG attributed the failure to sell its shares in the Lusa agency to a “process of constant political interference”, ensuring that the financial transaction “was completely closed” with the “explicit consent” of the PSD.

In the case of TSF, the reduction would amount to almost 50% of human resources, and so workers also agreed to “mobilize civil society” around the importance of radio.

“We intend to show that the structure of TSF is under threat. We know that the group does not intend to close the radio. […]. The idea is to reformulate, but it won’t be TSF. This is what we would like the public to know,” emphasized Filipe Santa Barbara, adding that given the current media situation in Portugal, “democracy is also losing.”

On Tuesday, TSF CT confirmed in a statement that it had been informed of the resignation of the radio’s management.

TSF’s management, consisting of Rui Gomez (CEO), Rosalia Amorim (Chief Information Officer) and Arthur Cassiano (Deputy Director of Information), took office on October 2, just over two months ago.