TV presenter Mircea Surdu partially won the dispute with the acting general director of Teleradio-Moldova (TRM) Vlad Turcanu. The Equality Council concluded that Surdu had been directly discriminated against and bullied in the workplace because of his views and ordered several measures to be taken to restore his rights. These include a review of the refusal to pay him an annual loyalty bonus for 2024 and a written apology to Turcan for violating the dignity and reputation of the journalist.
The Council made a decision on May 15, 2026 based on the results of consideration of the complaint from Mircea Surdu, who heads the Telefilm-Chișinău department within TRM.
What Mircea Surdu said
In his complaint, Surdu indicated that he became an inconvenient figure for management after making public statements about the methods of managing a public company and the directions of its development.
According to the journalist, management began to exclude him from decision-making processes, deprived him of his loyalty bonus for 2024, and took actions that could damage his professional reputation. In addition, he challenged the procedure for determining his performance indicators and disciplinary sanctions.
According to Surdu, tensions intensified in 2024 when he criticized management decisions and opposed practices that he considered incompatible with professional independence.
The journalist also complained that in June 2025, Vlad Turcanu published on his Facebook page an internal explanatory note to Surda regarding being late for an official meeting. According to the TV presenter, the publication of the document damaged his dignity and violated the right to privacy.
Equality Council findings
After reviewing the case file, the Equality Council found that some of the actions alleged in the complaint did constitute direct discrimination and bullying in the workplace due to differing views.
At the same time, the Council did not recognize all the facts cited by the applicant as manifestations of bullying.
To restore the rights of the journalist, the Council ordered the CEO of TRM to reconsider the decision to refuse the payment of the annual loyalty bonus for 2024 and to delete the publication posted on Facebook on June 4, 2025.
In addition, Vlad Turcanu must make a written apology to Mircea Surdu for the violation of his dignity and the damage to his reputation.
Recommendations for Teleradio-Moldova
In addition to measures on a specific case, the department has prepared several recommendations for a public company.
In particular, TRM recommended developing clear and objective rules for granting loyalty bonuses and evaluating employee performance in order to avoid similar situations in the future.
Companies were also recommended to provide training to management on how to prevent discrimination and bullying in the workplace.
Mircea Surdu’s reaction
After the publication of the decision, Mircea Surdu explained that it confirmed what he and his colleagues had been talking about in recent years.
“The board found that I was subject to bullying and discrimination in the workplace due to my views. I thank the members of the Council for this decision. Nevertheless, I was left with a bitter aftertaste,” the journalist wrote on social networks.
He also said that he had previously applied to the TRM Supervisory Board and the relevant parliamentary commission, but did not receive support.
Surdu thanked his colleagues from the Telefilm-Chișinău studio and the lawyer who represented his interests.
TRM Management Position
During the consideration of the case, Vlad Turcanu denied all accusations and said that the controversial decisions were made in accordance with labor legislation and internal regulations of the company.
According to him, the refusal to pay the loyalty bonus was not due to his views, but to the failure to fulfill several tasks envisaged for the department under the leadership of Surdu.
The company’s management also emphasized that the assessment of the journalist’s professional activities and disciplinary measures were carried out in accordance with the law, and there was no connection between his opinion and the administrative decisions taken.
Parties may appeal the Council’s decision in court within 30 days.
Let us remind you that in March 2025 on Teleradio-Moldova flared up scandal. Well-known TV presenter Mircea Surdu accused the company’s management of non-transparency of expenses and censorship. NM then told what happened, how Surda was punished and what the Council of Europe event had to do with it.
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