Chief Executive Officer, Mahen removed -- Swarnavahini issue resolved

Chief Executive Officer, Mahen removed -- Swarnavahini issue resolved

Because of the issue which flared up between its chief executive officer, Mahen Perera and employees of the private TV channel Swarnavahini, the employees had created a protest and had kept away from duty leading to a confusion. However what is reported this evening (20) is that the request made by the employees were acceded to and the problem of the owners were thus resolved. As such, Mr. Mahen Perera who functioned as the chief executive officer was dismissed from service. 

The predominant reason to stat a trade union was in fact the request to reinstate the 15 employees of
Swarnavahini who were dismissed from service. This decision was taken after a discussion that took place between Mr. Alexis Lowell of the channel and representatives of Swarnavahini trade union. It was announced that the final decision with regard to other claims will be notified on Friday. 

Whatever it is, the employees who were satisfied regarding these claims have resumed duties and they have said that they would once more go in for trade union activities if no permanent settlement is forthcoming on that day. Swarnavahini employees had conducted a meeting during the afternoon day before yesterday (17) and had started the protest and the root cause to launch a trade union was that the chief executive officer  of Swarnavahini has taken measures to suspend duties of 15 employees the following day. What he has said was that according to rules and regulations of the establishment, a trade union cannot be started. 

In fact it was after that not only employees of Swarnavahini channel who came forward to give support to those who were suspended, but even a large number of staff numbering about 270 had joined hands with the trade unionists. Among the requests made by the protestors it was not only to reinstate those sacked but also to remove the chief executive who was the primary cause for them to launch a trade union and an increase in their salary. 

As such,the workers had to present yesterday's new broadcast in the afternoon in somewhat of an unsuccessful manner and further to put a stop to 'live' programmes. Because of the heated environment at Swarnavahini, artistes too have extended their support to come before the strikers while the trade union batch of Sri Lanka Rupavahini has released an announcement in their favour. 

It was the strong opinion of the strikers that Mr. Mahen Perera who remained in Swarnavahini establishment was involved in conspiring to close doors on the trade union uproar by bringing a control on the trade union and that he was not a person who was devoted as such to the channel and that his activities during the last two and half years contributed towards the channel falling below the expected standards. 

Mr. Mahen Perera operated as the chief executive of the Sri FM channel which was affiliated to the Swarnavahini 15 years before this and has displayed prominent success. Subsequently he had domiciled himself in America and has later taken over Swarnavahini channel about two and half years before this. By that time Swarnavahini has collapsed and it was in a state of being rescued without making drastic changes. During his period, the time for Live at 7 was installed by changing Live at 8 and the stream of teledramas too was put in motion for commercial success while the Swarnavahini logo too was changed. 

Though some sort of success was observed because of these changes, during this process the EAP holdings faced bankruptcy with EAP Finance being subjected to a severe financial loss which then happened to be another form of setback with Swarnavahini experiencing a bleak period. In the issue that cropped up in connection with Golden Key deposits, what Sitha Edirisingha's children imagined was that assets of EAP Edirisingha family would be acquired by the state as the state took over assets of Ceylinco Holdings and thus they too will be called to settle the ETI loss and therefore the action which they took was sell Swarnavahini, Swarnamahal and related assets (excluding ETI) for a sum of 75 American dollars after the mother's demise while the court case was in progress. It was observed that the motive behind this deal was instead of paying monies of those assets, to put it into their own pockets. There was even some talk in parliament too that carrying out this transaction with a foreign party was something shady. 

Under the above circumstances, by now the Swarnavahini no longer belongs to the Edirisingha family and the new administrator is a foreigner and he and his crowd have taken up the ownership last January 6th. (We have given a description about this in a previous article -- from here). The present owner has not made any study about the Swarnavahini and it is the present chief executive, Mahen Perera who functions in Sri Lanka. It is the opinion of the employees that he operated in a prejudiced manner. It was in such a background that antagonism of workers began to surface against Mahen Perera. Whatever it is, the issue of the workers has been successfully been achieved and Swarnavahini will of course go forward on its journey under a new chief administrator.