A strike action threat has been hinted at by the union of the l’Office de radiodiffusion télévision du Mali (ORTM – Broadcasting Corporation of Mali). The demand is as follows: this company must change status and move from being a public administration establishment (EPA – Etablissement Public Administratif), to become a Commercial Public Establishment (EPIC – Etablissement à Caractère Commercial).

The request was sent to the minister of Digital Economy, Information and Communication, Choguel Kokalla Maïga. However, ORTM remained an EPA at the end of the Cabinet meeting of 30 October 2015. The only decision taken was to split the Corporation, to have a television branch separate from the radio.

The Union is obviously not happy with this result. At the end of its general meeting on 4 November 2015, the organisation announced a strike action of 48 hours, based on a notice served 15 days prior. No date has been set. However the general secretary of the union, Abdourhamane Touré, asked the union members to mobilise to change the status of ORTM.

By getting the Corporation’s status changed to Commercial Public Establishment, the union is hoping to meet other demands: the institution of the mandatory TV licence fee, the return of the advertising agency of the Malian Press and Advertising Agency (AMAP) under the command of ORTM. For the union, the government must give assurances showing that the communication sector is as important and a priority for them as security, health, education or agriculture.

For ORTM, becoming EPIC means that the corporation will embrace and develop a private sector mentality by becoming a real company selling a service, even though still part of the public sector. Therefore, citizens will have to pay the TV licence fee which will provide the public radio and television with the necessary means to become efficient.