THE CYPRUS Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) may have taken some steps to improve the dire condition of its premises, but the problem has not yet been resolved, the Chairman of the House Health Committee said yesterday.
“Despite some efforts on behalf of the board of directors and workers to improve the unacceptable situation, which still exists in the CyBC today, none of the necessary improvements have been made to finally resolve the problems that the employees are facing at their workplace,” said DISY’s Costas Constantinou.
In June 2010, three CyBC employees were being treated for serious conditions – two of whom in London hospitals – with serious concerns being raised that their problems were related to the state broadcaster’s “sick building syndrome”.
Two of the cases were said to be extremely serious, with one female employee consigned to a wheelchair, while another had reportedly spent over €300,000 on treatments but to no avail. The illnesses in all three cases were believed to be brain-related. Another two employees later fell ill, despite efforts to rectify the problems with the building.
Even though the link to the CyBC buildings was not confirmed, the fact that the employees’ health problems were related and they all worked at the state broadcaster’s, strongly suggested they could be connected.
Constantinou yesterday said the CyBC management was attempting to play down the true dimensions of the problem.
However, CyBC chairman Makis Symeou yesterday said a series of measures were being taken to ensure workers were protected, until the corporation’s new updated building is finished.
But he did admit this was being delayed due to “technical problems of a financial nature”, as the CyBC’s funds were frozen earlier in the year.
“Once the funds are released, the architectural competition will be launched. Based on our plans, the new modern CyBC building, which will be built in the same area as the broadcaster’s current premises, will be finished in the next five years,” said Symeou.
Asked if he could guarantee that CyBC workers and visitors were completely safe health-wise, Symeou said he could so with facts, the results of regular lab tests and other such measures that were implemented.