Workers at a Spanish television channel have been evicted after defying a management closure order and continuing to broadcast.<br /><br />Bosses at Valencia broadcaster Radio Television Valenciana (RTVV) had fired over half the workforce to try and stay afloat. A court ruled the workers should be reinstated. The broadcaster couldn’t afford to do that, so was forced to close, making 17,000 people jobless.<br /><br />Last minutes of Canal9 RTVV<br /><br />One unnamed employee told euronews: “We are leaving this building promising that we are going to do everything for the return of the radio and tv programs for the Valencian people,” he said.<br /><br />Valencia is the most heavily indebted Spanish region. Its local government is run by the conservative Popular Party, which is in power nationally under Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. <br /><br />“Of course I feel for them (the tv employees),” said Rahoy at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. “Losing a job is not a minor thing for the person losing it. It’s kind of unfair and not at all pleasant,” he added.<br /><br />Regional President Alberto Fabra said the shutdown was “non-negotiable.”<br /><br />“The court ruling leaves us no other option but to close down the station because we cannot bear the cost,” Fabra told reporters on Wednesday.<br /><br />“We do not have the 40 million euros required to take back those 1,000 workers, because we need that money to maintain education, health and social services,” he added.<br /><br />Unions and political opponents scorned the government’s explanation. Journalists called for Fabra to resign.<br /><br />Spain has 17 regional broadcasters. Analysts predict the one in Valencia could be the first of many to close as austerity bites.
