Union welcomes value-for-money review but says full compliance with rules will affect programmes
RTHK staff warned yesterday that the quality of news and other programmes could be affected if the public broadcaster, which operates as a media organisation as well as a government department, complied '100 per cent' with civil service rules.
In the latest value-for-money report, the Audit Commission blasted RTHK for non-compliance with government rules.
In procedures, RTHK was criticised for 'irregularities' in keeping an attendance record for service providers and 'frequent' overtime claims in 2004-05.
The report also criticised entertainment spending that amounted to $750,000 between 2004 and last year, and found cases without prior approval and some exceeding government spending limits. It pointed out that RTHK lacked documentation to justify the six spring receptions organised in 2004 and last year.
The RTHK Programme Staff Union yesterday welcomed the report, saying RTHK had a duty to follow the rules.
But union chairwoman Janet Mak Lai-ching warned that if frontline staff were required to strictly follow all rules, such as expenses claims or transport use, without regard to the need of media operations, news and other programme production could be at risk.
