”A disgrace to the positions they hold, capable only of destroying the public service broadcaster.”

On Wednesday, 29 March 2023, MEP Irena Joveva addressed the European Parliament during its plenary session in Brussels on the current developments at the national broadcaster RTV Slovenija. She said that its current management are not taking responsibility and refuse to admit that they are a disgrace to and unworthy of their positions: “They are only capable of making journalistic work impossible, of mobbing employees and of destroying the public service.”

The MEP began by saying that every decent person takes responsibility for his or her actions, even more so, if they are unlawful.

“And what are the management of RTV Slovenija doing? The Director General Andrej Grah Whatmough has been unlawfully appointed – as has been proven in court! He does not intend to resign. The former director of TV Slovenia, Natalija Gorščak, has been unlawfully removed from office – as has been proven in court! Her successor, Uroš Urbanija, does not intend to resign.”

Joveva recalled that there have already been numerous strikes by RTV Slovenija employees. In her opinion, the next one, which has been announced for 4 April 2023, is justified, considering that the situation at the public service broadcaster has not improved. Rather the contrary is the case, given that the management – as mentioned above – does not want to assume responsibility.

“Because they don’t want to end this agony, because they don’t want to admit that they are a disgrace to and unworthy of their positions. They are only capable of making journalistic work impossible, of mobbing employees and of destroying the public service.”

To conclude, she summarised her thoughts by borrowing the words of Val202 radio station journalist Nataša Štefe, who said that they do not need compassion, but rather that everything be done in accordance with the law and standards.

You can watch MEP Joveva’s speech here.

BACKGROUND

The Programme Council of Radiotelevizija Slovenia appointed Andrej Grah Whatmough as Director General of RTV Slovenija at its meeting of 25 January 2021, as the term of office of the then Director Igor Kadunc expired in April of that year. Applications for the post were submitted by Andrej Grah Whatmough, Igor Kadunc and Nataša Gorčak, the then Director of TV Slovenia. On 17 March 2022, following an initiative by Grah Whatmough, the Programme Council, in a new composition, reappointed Grah Whatmough as Director General, whereby the new vacancy notice no longer required from the applicants three years of managerial experience.

Kadunc challenged the appointment of Grah Whatmough, arguing that the managerial experience criterion had not been taken into account in the procedure. The Court of First Instance dismissed Kadunc’s complaint, following which Kadunc appealed to the Higher Court. The latter ruled that the decision of the Programme Council of January 2021 was unlawful and should be repealed, and that the appointment of Grah Whatmough was therefore unlawful.

On 20 August 2021, the then Director General of RTV, Andrej Grah Whatmough, dismissed Natalia Gorščak from her post as Director of TV Slovenija. A panel of the Ljubljana Higher Labour and Social Court ruled that the dismissal in August 2021 was unlawful, as had previously been found by the Court of First Instance, against which the RTV management appealed.