For a second consecutive week, most employees at the Antigua and Barbuda Broadcasting Services (ABS) have been instructed not to enter the state-owned media house on Friars Hill Road as health and safety concerns at the facility remain unresolved.
Staff continue to report to work to clock in before returning home, acting on instructions from their union representative, Bernard de Nully of the Antigua and Barbuda Trades and Labour Union (AT&LU). Others just don’t show up at all.
Bernard De Nully, President of the Antigua Trades & Labor Union (photo by Robert Andre Emmanuel)
The unusual arrangement has left ABS operating with only a skeleton crew, while management attempts to keep essential functions running by shifting personnel where possible.
However, operations have reportedly been hampered by intermittent Wi-Fi disruptions and transportation challenges for staff working on the field.
The situation began last week after a Shop Steward alerted the union to deteriorating conditions inside the ABS building, including visible mould and a strong foul odour that workers feared could pose health risks.
Sources say the problem worsened after the facility reportedly experienced flooding over the weekend, intensifying concerns about contamination and air quality within the building.