Mediapersons oppose Modi Govt’s. labour law

Mediapersons oppose Modi Govt’s. labour law

New Delhi: Five elected national organisations of mediapersons, with   over 70 percent membership of India’s journalist and newspaper employees, have urged the Modi Government to review its Code of Wages. In their view such a parliamentary legislation will seriously damage the cause of India’s working class and destroy all the trade union gains of their century–old struggle.                      

These organisations included the Federation of P.T.I. Employees’ Unions, led by its general secretary Balram Dahiya, and the National Federation of Newspaper Employees, led by its general secretary C.M. Papnai. Among others are the Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ), whose secretary general is Vipin Dhuliya, and the Indian Journalists Union (united). The Delhi unit chief of the IFWJ Rajiv Ranjan Nag presided over the meeting last week at the Press Club of India hall (New Delhi), which was convened by FPTIEU general secretary. Massive support to their demand has also come from various regional and language media units like the Samacharpatra Sammelan, the All-India Reporters Guild, and the Rural Journalist Sangh.  

The office-bearers of many Delhi-based federations also decided to meet the Union Labour Minister Shri Santosh Gangwar next week to draw through him the Prime Minister’s attention to the imminent harm to the media cause by the law on the Code of Wages. Among other issues discussed at the Press Club meeting were the illegal retrenchment of employees after the Majithia wage award, victimisation of PTI employees and rising assault on journalists.

Among those who participates in the meeting were the N.F.N.E. chief and leader of the Times of India employees union Havaldar Singh, Ms. Ira Jha and     Ms. Sujata Mathur of women press corps, Habeeb Akhtar,  C.L. Gupta, Dinesh Bist, Umrao Singh, Sansar Chand, Rajballabh Singh, Ghananand Joshi, Nandan Singh Nayak and R. P. Yadav, IFWJ treasurer.