HKTV axes 24 employees in ‘manpower arrangement’
Station says the cuts have nothing to do with long delay to win a free-to-air licence
Hong Kong Television Network has sacked 24 staff members in its latest round of "manpower arrangements".
Among them were a news department cameraman and nine engineering department employees. The 10 were let go after the broadcaster's news reporting operation closed following a decision not to renew its contract to provide a news service to bbTV. The contract expires today.
There are still some 40 people in the news unit. They will continue doing news research and preparing for the launch of a planned 24-hour news service. Those transferred will eventually re-join the news department
HKTV said every effort had been made to minimise the number of news department employees affected by giving 14 of them internal transfers.
"There are still some 40 people in the news unit. They will continue doing news research and preparing for the launch of a planned 24-hour news service," a spokeswoman said. "Those transferred will eventually re-join the news department."
The other 14 staff, from various departments, were fired for poor work performance, she said.
The spokeswoman dismissed speculation that HKTV's move signalled a cut in its investment commitment due to the government's delay in granting it a free-to-air television licence.